Iwan Thomas facts for kids
Thomas being interviewed in London in 2011
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| Birth name | Iwan Gwyn Thomas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 5 January 1974 Farnborough, London, England |
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| Sport | Men's athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 400m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Newham and Essex Beagles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Iwan Gwyn Thomas (born 5 January 1974) is a Welsh sprinter famous for his speed in the 400 metres race. He has represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the Olympic Games and Wales at the Commonwealth Games. Thomas has won gold medals at the European Championships, Commonwealth Games, and World Championships.
For 25 years, Thomas held the UK record for the 400m race with a time of 44.36 seconds. He set this record on 13 July 1997. He was also part of the British team that held the European record for the 4 × 400m relay race. They set this record at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
His coach for most of his career was Mike Smith, who also trained other famous British runners. In 1998, Thomas was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his achievements in athletics.
Contents
A Champion on the Track
Iwan Thomas first showed his amazing talent at the World Junior Championships in 1992. He was part of the British 4 × 400 metres relay team that finished fifth. A relay race is where a team of runners each run a certain distance before passing a baton to the next teammate.
While studying at university, he competed for Wales in the 1994 Commonwealth Games and reached the semi-finals in the 400m. The next year, he won his first major gold medal with the British relay team at the 1995 European Cup.
Olympic and World Success
At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Thomas had a great performance. He finished fifth in the individual 400m final. He also won a silver medal with his teammates in the 4 × 400m relay. Their team set a new European record that stood for 28 years.
In 1997, at the World Championships in Athens, Thomas and his teammates finished second in the 4 × 400m relay, just behind the United States team. However, years later, it was discovered that a member of the U.S. team had used performance-enhancing substances. Because of this, the British team was rightfully awarded the gold medal in 2010.
Dealing with Injuries
Like many athletes, Thomas faced challenges with injuries. In 1999, he had a stress fracture in his ankle, which is a tiny crack in the bone. He needed surgery to fix it. He was injured again in 2003, this time hurting his Achilles tendon.
These injuries meant he couldn't compete in the 2004 Olympic Games. Although he was chosen for the Welsh team for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, another injury stopped him from taking part.
Thomas never made a formal announcement about retiring from athletics. He officially ended his career during a radio show interview in July 2012.
Life Outside of Athletics
Iwan Thomas was born in Farnborough, England, and now lives in Southampton. His family has strong Welsh roots.
He is a big fan of motorcycles and supports the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. He is also involved in charity work and became an ambassador for The Saints Foundation, the charity of Southampton F.C..
TV Appearances and Other Fun Activities
After his athletics career, Iwan Thomas became a familiar face on television. He has presented shows about motorcycle racing, like MotoGP Tonight on BT Sport.
In 2015, he was a contestant on the popular dancing show Strictly Come Dancing. He also presented the athletics coverage for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. In 2022, he took part in Celebrity Hunted for charity and was the only celebrity to win the series.
Besides TV, Thomas has tried other sports. He once competed in a cycling event at the Manchester Velodrome. He has also taken part in the London Marathon and even joined a professional sailing team for a day. In 2024, he started a podcast about motorbikes called Full Chat.
See also
In Spanish: Iwan Thomas para niños
