Osaka: Basketballer wins HJ

Members Area In the News
1

THIS IS ONE OF THOSE GREAT STORIES IN OUR SPORT. WE POSTED SOMETHING ON THIS GUY A FEW MONTHS AGO IN “THE NEWS” .

Don Thomas, who only took up high jumping a year ago as a break from playing basketball at Auburn College, tonight slam-dunked his way to a World Championship, taking the High Jump title from right under the noses of better-known, more established athletes.

The 23-year-old Bahamian had come to Osaka with some form, having won Pan-Am Games silver and jumped the best height of the year so far at 2.35 - but it was all a long way from 12 months ago when he joined in with a training session and jumped 2.22 wearing basketball shorts and flats.

Thomas’s first-time clearance at 2.35 gave him the gold, ahead of Yaroslav Rybakov, of Russia, and Kyriakou Ioannou, from Cyprus, who both needed two attempts, Ioannou’s bronze being the first ever won at the World Championships by his Mediterranean island state.

First to go, amid some inaccurate jumping at 2.21, was the Swede, Linus Thornblad, that many had fancied to win a medal. Yet even Thomas misjudged his first jump at this height.

At 2.26, Thomas repeated his first attempt error, putting the Bahamian at a disadvantage against the likes of Holm, Rybakov and Tomas Janku. It was a height that also trapped Andrey Silnov (RUS) and Jaroslav Baba (CZE). Soon, only six jumpers had blemish-free records.

And not much later, Michal Bieniek (POL) was eliminated at that height, followed soon after by Brazil’s Jesse de Lima and the European champion, Andrey Silnov, of Russia.

Holm, though, was flying, his first-time clearance at 2.30 seeing him bulleting through the black, muggy Osaka night sky.

Ioannou and Eike Onnen (GER) both had failures at this height, but the Cypriot opted to try again, and succeeded, while the German decided to pass. Only four had clean cards as they moved the bar to 2.33.

Ioannou’s gamble paid off, but Onnen’s did not, as he failed out at the next height, 2.33, as did Victor Moya, the Cuban being watched from the stands by the former champion, Javier Sotomayor, his manager.

Martyn Bernard, the Briton who on Tuesday had set a personal best 2.29 to qualify for this final, had been jumping as if he had no sense of his own shortcomings. He needed three attempts to clear 2.21, but then passed 2.26 and 2.30, before having one fail at 2.33. The really surprising thing was that he came as close with his two attempts at 2.35 as did Holm.

This was when the pressure really took hold, because after Ioannou, Holm and Rybakov all had first-attempt failures at 2.35, Thomas stepped up, and off his tight six-stride run-up, almost seemed to climb over with his first attempt as if he was about to slam dunk a basketball, and then bounced off the landing bed in delight.

Ioannou, having set a Cypriot record at 2.33, improved it to 2.35 with his second attempt, a feat matched by Rybakov.

For the first time in the night, you could see the strain etched on Holm’s face. You could also see it in the Olympic champion’s jumping, too, as his final effort was probably his worst.

Ioannou and Rybakov now needed to clear 2.37, and when they did not, the title was Thomas’s.

Osaka 2007 News Team/sd

2

thats pretty amazing, but he was just a run of the mill second teir college player, sorta makes you wonder what some of the top level guys could do.

problem is that alot of basketball players who are realitively strong jump off two legs, which is of course a no no in the HJ.

several asides: mike conely was a member of the nike dunk tour(i forget the actual name) during the early 90’s.

lebron james high jumped 6’4 in HS.

the preimer “dunker”, i.e. someone who makes a living doing exibition dunk shows is a failed high jumper.

3

This is amazing. Jumping 2.20m in training shoes prior to the CWG, and now being world champ. What is most amazing is that he has the worst technique out of all the guys yesterday.

4

Second and tthird tier BB palyer are usually better athletes than top basketballplayers…there is no great correlation with jumping skill and bb skills…oh Larry bird maybe jumped a copy of l.a. times:)

5

‘No spikes’ Thomas leaps confidently to a fairy tale ending

Osaka, Japan - Praise be, there is still some romance left in international sport!

Eighteen months ago, Donald Thomas was a college basketball player with little knowledge or interest in Track and Field Athletics, but with a talent for winning the occasional dunking contest. Now he is World High Jump champion.

In January, 2006, his spring-heeled expertise on the basketball court led a colleague to speculate that the Bahamian might be able to high jump two metres, but probably not. Always one to rise to a challenge, Thomas jumped 2.11 metres. Two days later, in his first competition since dabbling at High School back in Grand Bahama, Thomas jumped 2.23. He was still wearing basketball shoes. He switched to cross-trainers, and ended his first season as a high jumper on 2.24 metres, a respectable enough mark for a novice.

One year later, on Day Five in Osaka’s Nagai Stadium, wearing Pole Vault shoes, as he has done throughout 2007 – unlike High Jump shoes, they have no spike in the heel – Thomas equalled his best jump of the year, 2.35 metres, and won gold at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics. If that’s not a fairy tale, the Brothers’ Grimm can go back to the Big Sleep forever.

Bahamian athletes regularly punch above their weight in international competition. The ‘Golden Girls,’ the Bahamian sprint relay squad won World and Olympic gold in succession in 1999 and 2000, and the following year, Arvard Moncur took the World 400 metres title in Edmonton 2001. Further back, Troy Kemp won gold in Gothenburg 1995… in the High Jump! All this success comes from a collection of Caribbean Islands with a population of well under half a million. They do however benefit from college scholarships in the USA. But the vast majority have an undying affection and allegiance to the Bahamas. Thomas, who graduated from college in St Louis Missouri, and is now doing at Masters in Auburn, Alabama, is no different.

One of the first things he said after strolling off the track into the arms of overjoyed Bahamian officials was, “I’m happy to do anything for the Bahamas, it’s the joy of winning for a small country. If my country wants me to do anything, I’ll do it. After prelims (qualifying), I just wanted to get the national anthem played here in Japan, for the folks back home.”

Despite his lack of experience and expertise – “Maybe I can get Stefan (Olympic champ, Holm, who was fourth) to give me a few tips,” he joked afterwards - Thomas, 23 does not lack in ambition or self-belief. “When you show up, then you show up in great shape, so I’m not surprised I won. I always want to be on top. I took it like everyday competition. And it was a nice one, I hope people in Bahamas will celebrate even more than me. If somebody would clear 2.37 I would do the same, believe me. I never doubt in myself.”

Thomas admits he only really started training in January, one year after his first essay at the discipline, and he still only does around five hours training a week. But he does have some serious help, in the shape of Jerry Clayton, who coached Charles Austin to the US record. Thomas also admits that he still prefers basketball, which will make his beaten opponents doubt themselves even more.

He could barely believe it himself. “You know,” he mused in the ‘mixed zone’ – where athletes meet the media when they come off the track - “it just seems like a normal competition. I suppose it’ll sink in over the next days and weeks. Anything is possible, you never know what God has in store for you.” Less than three years after he took up a casual challenge on a basketball court, it could be an Olympic gold medal.

Pat Butcher for the IAAF

http://osaka2007.iaaf.org/news/kind=2/newsid=41096.html#spikes+thomas+leaps+confidently+fairy+tale+ending

6

It must annoy people like Holme who train all their lives for this and he just walks up and wins!