Dwight Thomas
Encyclopedia
Dwight Thomas O.D
(born September 23, 1980) is a Jamaica
n sprinter
mainly competing in the 100 metres
event and more recently the 110m hurdles.
He won the bronze medal at the IAAF World Junior Championships in 1998 at the 100m and Gold medal in the 4x100m relay, competed in the 2000
and 2004 Summer Olympics
and finished 5th at the 2005 World Championships
. Later in 2005 he won a bronze medal at the 3rd IAAF World Athletics Final and rank number 3 in the world.
Thomas represented Jamaica at the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
. He competed at the 4x100 metres relay together with Michael Frater
, Nesta Carter
and Asafa Powell
. In their qualification heat they placed first in front of Canada
, Germany
and China
. Their time of 38.31 was the second out of sixteen participating nations in the first round and they qualified for the final. Thomas was replaced by Usain Bolt
for the final race and they sprinted to a new World Record time of 37.10 seconds, claiming the gold medal.
Dwight started athletics at an early age competing for Calabar High school in Kingston Jamaica winning the 100m and the 200m and set two records at the Inter-Secondary School Sports Association National Boys & Girls Athletic Championship held at the National Stadium, Kingston. On March 22, he won the Class 2 100 metres in 10.80sec and the Class 2 110 metres hurdles in 14.08.[3]
Thomas won the 100m at CARIFTA Games, winning the Under-20 100 m in 10.42second.
At the 1998 World junior Championship in Annecy France Thomas competed for Jamaica winning a Bronze medal in the 100m the first in his country history in the event at the time. Three days later winning the 4x100m relay.
In 1999 Thomas Competed at the Junior Pan American Games in Tampa bay Florida winning the 100m in 10.37sec and the 200m in 20.65sec and was apart of the winning 4x400m relay team running the second leg in the finals.
While Thomas attended Clemson University he was the ACC Athlete of the year winning the 60m and the 60mh indoor 100m and the 200m outdoor at the ACC Championship and a All American at the NCCA indoor Championship 2002.
Thomas was the Second Place runner up the NCAA Championship in the 100m and the 200m outdoor held at LSU in Baton Rouge to Justin Gatlin who will two years later became the Olympic Champion in the 100m.
Thomas transferred to the University of Florida in the fall of 2002 to continue his studies and coached by Mick Holloway the Head Track & Field coach of the Gators. Thomas opted to go pro instead after finding out he had to sit out his first year after arriving at Florida under a partial release from Clemson University. He would continue his studies at Florida while being coached and mentored by Coach Holloway.
Order of distinction
The Order of Distinction in Jamaica is the fifth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament – The National Honours and Awards Act.The Motto of the Order is "Distinction Through Service"....
(born September 23, 1980) is a Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n sprinter
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
mainly competing in the 100 metres
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
event and more recently the 110m hurdles.
He won the bronze medal at the IAAF World Junior Championships in 1998 at the 100m and Gold medal in the 4x100m relay, competed in the 2000
Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics
At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, 46 events in athletics were contested, 24 for men and 22 for women. There were a total number of 2134 participating athletes from 193 countries.-Men's events:...
and 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
and finished 5th at the 2005 World Championships
2005 World Championships in Athletics - Men's 100 metres
The men's 100 metres at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on August 6 and August 7.The top three runners in each of the initial 8 heats automatically qualified for the second round. The next ten fastest runners from across the heats also qualified...
. Later in 2005 he won a bronze medal at the 3rd IAAF World Athletics Final and rank number 3 in the world.
Thomas represented Jamaica at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Jamaica at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Jamaica competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing, People's Republic of China from August 8 to August 24, 2008. This is, by far, Jamaica's best showing at the Summer Olympics.-Medalists:-Men:-Women:* Athletes ran in heats only...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. He competed at the 4x100 metres relay together with Michael Frater
Michael Frater
Michael Frater O.D is a sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres event. He won a silver medal at the 2005 World Championships and a gold medal at the 2003 Pan American Games for the event....
, Nesta Carter
Nesta Carter
Nesta Carter O.D is a Jamaican sprinter, who specialises in the 100 metres event. In August 2010 he became only the fifth sprinter to ever run the 100 metres in less than 9.8 seconds....
and Asafa Powell
Asafa Powell
Asafa Powell C.D is a Jamaican sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres. He held the 100 m world record between June 2005 and May 2008, with times of 9.77 and 9.74 seconds respectively. Powell has consistently broken the 10-second barrier in competition, with his personal best of...
. In their qualification heat they placed first in front of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Their time of 38.31 was the second out of sixteen participating nations in the first round and they qualified for the final. Thomas was replaced by Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt
The Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay...
for the final race and they sprinted to a new World Record time of 37.10 seconds, claiming the gold medal.
Dwight started athletics at an early age competing for Calabar High school in Kingston Jamaica winning the 100m and the 200m and set two records at the Inter-Secondary School Sports Association National Boys & Girls Athletic Championship held at the National Stadium, Kingston. On March 22, he won the Class 2 100 metres in 10.80sec and the Class 2 110 metres hurdles in 14.08.[3]
Thomas won the 100m at CARIFTA Games, winning the Under-20 100 m in 10.42second.
At the 1998 World junior Championship in Annecy France Thomas competed for Jamaica winning a Bronze medal in the 100m the first in his country history in the event at the time. Three days later winning the 4x100m relay.
In 1999 Thomas Competed at the Junior Pan American Games in Tampa bay Florida winning the 100m in 10.37sec and the 200m in 20.65sec and was apart of the winning 4x400m relay team running the second leg in the finals.
While Thomas attended Clemson University he was the ACC Athlete of the year winning the 60m and the 60mh indoor 100m and the 200m outdoor at the ACC Championship and a All American at the NCCA indoor Championship 2002.
Thomas was the Second Place runner up the NCAA Championship in the 100m and the 200m outdoor held at LSU in Baton Rouge to Justin Gatlin who will two years later became the Olympic Champion in the 100m.
Thomas transferred to the University of Florida in the fall of 2002 to continue his studies and coached by Mick Holloway the Head Track & Field coach of the Gators. Thomas opted to go pro instead after finding out he had to sit out his first year after arriving at Florida under a partial release from Clemson University. He would continue his studies at Florida while being coached and mentored by Coach Holloway.
Personal bests
- 100 metres100 metresThe 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
- 10.00 (2005) - 200 metres200 metresA 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
- 20.32 (2007) - 110 metres hurdlesHurdlingHurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...
- 13.16 (2009)