Spain Park High School track and field assistant coach Curtis Thompson is headed to the Olympics for a second time after winning his fourth U.S. javelin title at the trials in Eugene, Oregon.
His javelin throw of 83.04 meters was three feet further than anyone else in the competition and will send him to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games this summer after he competed in Tokyo in 2021.
“It’s a feeling of relief, joy and happiness,” Thompson told the Hoover Sun. “You work really hard to get to this point, and this is a step to the future goals that we are looking toward.”
“It’s an exciting feeling. It’s one that I cherish and I’ll be able to cherish for the rest of my life,” he said. “But to continue to wear USA on my chest and compete at a high level, I look forward to competing well and making sure everybody’s proud of what I’ve done.”
Thompson, a Mississippi State graduate, talked about the pride of being able to coach students at Spain Park while he competes on his own athletic journey.
“It’s been wonderful having them supporting me and on my side; they’re really understanding of what’s going on,” he said. “It’s exciting being able to help and push and encourage them in their own career, as they do for me,”
The Paris Olympic Games will run from July 27 through August 11, and we will certainly be following along with Thompson to see if he can bring a medal home to the Yellowhammer State!
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
