Sub-10 club: Trinidad and Tobago/LSU sprinter Richard Thompson, centre, LSU’s Trindon Holiday, left, and Tennessee’s Evander Wells compete in the men’s 100 metres final, on Sunday, in Auburn, Alabama, during the final day of the SEC Track and Field Championships. Thompson won the race in 9.93 seconds, while Holiday finished second and Wells copped sixth spot. -Photo: AP
Richard Thompson bolted into the sub-10 club with a 9.93 seconds triumph in the men’s 100 metres final, at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships, in Alabama, USA, on Sunday.
The Louisiana State University (LSU) senior became only the fourth Trinidad and Tobago sprinter to join the elite group of sprinters who have gone faster than 10 seconds in the century. Thompson is now second on the all-time T&T performance list, behind national record holder Ato Boldon (9.86) and ahead of Marc Burns (9.96) and Darrel Brown (9.99).
On Sunday, Thompson was just one-hundredth of a second outside Boldon’s 12-year-old NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) record.
“It’s a great accomplishment,” a satisfied Thompson told the Express, yesterday. “It’s a great feeling. Two or three years ago I did not think I could run sub-10.”
But following his 10-flat 100m opener, in early April, the 22-year-old sprinter knew that a 9-point run was bound to come.
“I expected to be under ten…I’ve been feeling really good since the 10-flat. Actually, 9.90 came up on the clock, so I thought I had broken the 9.92 NCAA record. But I wasn’t focused on time at this meet, just on place.”
What “Torpedo Thompson” did not expect was his 200m clocking. The former QRC student struck gold in the half-lap event in a personal best 20.23 seconds, beating American Rubin Williams (20.41) of University of Tennessee into second spot.
“That one was a big surprise. I expected 20.4/20.5.”
Thompson’s previous best, ahead of the championship race, was the 20.75 run he had produced in the qualifying round.
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