Sheldon LongleySend an emailMay 31, 2022 340 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
In an ongoing attempt to qualify for the World Athletics (WA) World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, this summer, national record holder in the men’s decathlon Kendrick Thompson was in competition at the Jacksonville Athletic Club (JAC) Combined Events Qualifier at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, over the past two days.
Thompson was superb again, breaking his national record of 7,762 points in the men’s decathlon by 28 points. He scored a new national record of 7,788 points at the JAC Meet, breaking the national record in the men’s decathlon for the second time this year. His previous personal best and national record of 7,762 points was done at the Hurricane Alumni Invitational at the University of Miami (UM) Cobb Stadium in Coral Gables, Florida, in April.
After day one of competition on Sunday, Thompson led the competition with 4,193 points overall – 39 points ahead of national record pace – and needed just 608 points in the final event of the competition on Monday, the men’s 1,500 meters (m), to break The Bahamas’ national record. In
essence, he had to run a 4:51.85 men’s 1500m race or faster to break the national record. The University of The Bahamas (UB) Mingoes multi-events athlete proved that he was up to the challenge, completing the grueling three and three quarter-lap event in 4:47.71, scoring 633 points. His personal best run in the men’s 1,500m is 4:44.82.
Thompson is still off the qualifying standard for the world championships which is listed at 8,350 points.
On Sunday, Thompson won the 100 meters (m) in 10.80 seconds – just two one-hundredths of a second off his personal best time. He was able to earn 906 decathlon points in that event. He won the long jump with a personal best jump of 7.47m (24’ 6-1/4”), earning 927 points. In the shot put, Thompson had a winning heave of 13.60m (44’ 7-1/2”) in the men’s shot put – about a foot and a half short of his personal best throw, and earning 704 points.
Thompson continued his impressive performances with a first-place finish in the men’s high jump with a clearance of 1.99m (6’ 6-1/4”) – just a centimeter off his personal best jump. He earned 794 points in that event. Thompson finished the first day of competition with a run of 48.99 seconds in the men’s 400m – short of his personal best time of 46.22 seconds. He earned 862 points in that event.
Despite falling off a bit in the men’s 400m, Thompson was still ahead of national record pace heading into day two of the competition on Monday.
In the first event, on Monday, the men’s 110m hurdles, Thompson crossed the finish line first in 14.53 seconds, earning 907 points, and finishing just short of his personal best run of 14.52 seconds. In the next event, Thompson had a toss of 39.70m (130’ 3”) in the discus, just under his personal best throw of 40.04m (131’ 4-1/4”). He earned 658 points with that effort.
Thompson then competed in the men’s pole vault competition and cleared a winning height of 4.15m (13’ 7-1/4”) – short of his personal best clearance of 4.35m (14’ 3-1/4”). He earned 659 points for that jump. His ninth event of the competition was the men’s javelin and Thompson had a winning heave of 60.01m (196’ 10”) – short of his personal best throw of 63.74m (209’ 1”). He scored 738 points for that throw.
Thompson gathered himself for the final event of the two-day competition, the men’s 1,500m, and was just short of his personal best run, but scored enough to break the national record again.
Thompson won all 10 events in the men’s decathlon competition over the last two days. The event wrapped up last night in Jacksonville.