Obadele Thompson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Obadele Thompson
BSS

Personal information
Birth name	Obadele Olutoson Thompson
Nationality	Barbadian
Born	(1976-03-30) 30 March 1976 (age 49) Saint Michael, Barbados
Height	5 ft 9 in
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	100 metres, 200 metres
Medal record Men's Athletics Representing  Barbados Olympic Games Bronze 2000 Sydney 100 m Commonwealth Games Bronze 1998 Kuala Lumpur 100 m World Indoor Championships Silver 1999 Maebashi 200 m IAAF World Cup in Athletics Gold 1998 Johannesburg 100 m World University Games Silver 1995 Fukuoka 100 m Central American and Caribbean Games Gold 1998 Maracaibo 100 m CAC Championships Gold 1993 Cali 100 m Gold 1995 Guatemala City 100 m Gold 1995 Guatemala City 200 m Gold 1999 Bridgetown 100 m Gold 1999 Bridgetown 4×100 m relay Gold 2001 Guatemala City 4×100 m relay Silver 1995 Guatemala City 4×100 m relay

Obadele "Oba" Thompson (born March 30, 1976) is a famous former sprinter from Barbados. He is a national hero because he won the country's first and only Olympic medal. He came in third place in the 100 metres race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Thompson competed in three Olympic Games (1996, 2000, and 2004) and made it to the finals each time. His fastest time for the 100 m is 9.87 seconds, and for the 200 metres, it is 19.97 seconds. Both of these are still Barbadian national records. He also holds a world record for the indoor 55 metres race, which he set in 1997. Besides being a great athlete, he is also a lawyer and an author.

A Star Athlete and Student

Before becoming a professional athlete, Thompson was a star at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He was amazing at both sports and his studies. In college, he won four national sprint titles, called NCAA championships. He also set two college records and two world records during this time.

One of his most famous moments was in 1996 when he ran the 100 m in 9.69 seconds. This was the fastest time ever recorded, but it didn't count as an official world record because the wind was too strong.

Thompson was also a top student. He won many awards for his grades and leadership. He was named an Academic All-American three times. This means he was one of the best student-athletes in the entire country. After his running career, he wrote a book called Secrets of a Student-Athlete to help young people succeed.

Athletics Career

Early Years

Obadele started running when he was about six years old in Barbados. His talent really began to show when he was in high school at Harrison College. He was coached by some of the best coaches in Barbados.

At age 14, he represented Barbados for the first time and won the 100 m and 200 m races at a Caribbean youth competition. He continued to dominate in junior competitions, winning many titles. Even though he was one of the best young sprinters in the world, colleges in the United States didn't notice him at first. So, in 1993, he contacted the coach at UTEP himself and earned an athletic scholarship.

College Success

At UTEP, Thompson quickly became a star. In 1994, while still a teenager, he tied the World Junior Record for the 100 m with a time of 10.08 seconds. Sadly, he suffered a neck injury that year but still helped his team do well.

In 1995, he had an amazing victory at the Drake Relays, a famous track meet. He beat his hero, the legendary Carl Lewis, who had won nine Olympic gold medals. This showed everyone that Thompson was a future star.

Professional Career

The Road to the Olympics (1996-1999)

In 1996, Thompson was getting ready for his first Olympics. He ran an incredible 9.69 seconds in the 100 m, but the strong wind meant it wasn't an official record. Unfortunately, injuries bothered him that year. Still, he made it to the Atlanta Olympics and finished an amazing fourth in the 200 m final.

Over the next few years, Thompson became one of the best sprinters in the world. In 1998, he set his personal best time of 9.87 seconds in the 100 m. This was the fourth-fastest legal time in history back then. In 1999, he won a silver medal at the World Indoor Championships in the 200 m.

Olympic Glory in 2000

Thompson (right) with the other 100 m Olympic medal winners in Sydney.

The year 2000 was the high point of Thompson's career. At the Sydney Olympics, he made history for his country. He won the bronze medal in the 100 m race with a time of 10.04 seconds. This was the first-ever Olympic medal for Barbados as an independent nation. He also finished fourth in the 200 m race.

His medal was a huge moment for Barbados. The only other Olympic medal won by a Barbadian was in 1960 when Jim Wedderburn was part of a relay team for the West Indies Federation.

Later Career and Injuries

After his Olympic success, Thompson struggled with many injuries. These problems made it hard for him to compete at his best. Even with these challenges, he still made it to the 100 m final at the 2004 Athens Olympics, finishing seventh. This showed his incredible determination.

He continued to race for a few more years but was often held back by injuries. He retired from athletics in 2009.

Personal Life

Thompson was born in St. Michael, Barbados. His father, Alvin Thompson, was a history professor and also a talented sprinter in his youth. His mother, Hilda Thompson, was a nurse.

In 2007, Thompson married Marion Jones, a former American sprinter. They have three children together.

Honored in Barbados

When Thompson returned to Barbados after winning his Olympic medal, he was celebrated as a national hero. Thousands of people came out to cheer for him. The government named him an Ambassador and Special Envoy for Youth. He also received one of the country's highest honors, the Barbados Service Star.

A popular song called Obadele was even written about him in 1995 by the band Krosfyah. The song celebrated his achievements and became a big hit in the Caribbean.

Personal Bests

Performances at International Competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Barbados
1991	CARIFTA Games (U-17)	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	1st	100 m	10.5   (2.6 m/s) w
			3rd	200 m	22.26
1992	CARIFTA Games (U-17)	Nassau, Bahamas	1st	100 m	10.59 w
			2nd	200 m	21.61
	CARIFTA Games (U-20)		2nd	4 × 100 m relay	41.84
1993	CARIFTA Games (U-20)	Fort-de-France, Martinique	1st	100 m	10.71   (−0.9 m/s)
			2nd	200 m	21.42   (−0.3 m/s)
			3rd	4 × 100 m relay	42.47
	Central American and Caribbean Championships	Cali, Colombia	1st	100 m	10.30 w
	Pan American Junior Championships	Winnipeg, Canada	3rd	100m	10.76
			2nd	200m	21.18 w
1994	CARIFTA Games (U-20)	Bridgetown, Barbados	1st	100 m	10.33
			1st	200 m	20.71
	Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships	Port of Spain, Trinidad	1st	100m	10.0   (−0.3 m/s)
			1st	200m	21.1   (−0.2 m/s)
	World Junior Championships	Lisbon, Portugal	4th	100m	10.29 (wind: +1.2 m/s)
			5th (sf)	200 m	21.28 (wind: +1.9 m/s)
1995	Central American and Caribbean Championships	Guatemala City, Guatemala	1st	100 m	10.18 A
			1st	200 m	20.49 A CR
	Universiade	Fukuoka, Japan	2nd	100 m	10.34   (1.3 m/s)
	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	5th (qf)	100 m	10.30   (−0.5 m/s)
			7th (sf)	200 m	20.66   (−0.9 m/s)
1996	Olympic Games	Atlanta, United States	6th (sf)	100m	10.16   (−0.5 m/s)
			4th	200m	20.14   (0.4 m/s)
1997	World Championships	Athens, Greece	6th (sf)	100 m	10.30   (−0.8 m/s)
			6th	200m	20.37   (2.3 m/s) w
	IAAF Grand Prix Final	Fukuoka, Japan	2nd	200 m	20.19   (0.3 m/s)
1998	Commonwealth Games	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	3rd	100m	10.00
	IAAF World Cup	Johannesburg, South Africa	1st	100 m	9.87   (−0.2 m/s) NR
	IAAF Grand Prix Final	Moscow, Russia	2nd	100 m	10.11   (0.1 m/s)
	Central American and Caribbean Games	Maracaibo, Venezuela	1st	100 m	10.20
1999	IAAF World Indoor Championships	Maebashi, Japan	2nd	200 m	20.26
	Central American and Caribbean Championships	Bridgetown, Barbados	1st	100 m	10.23
	World Championships	Seville, Spain	4th	100 m	10.00   (0.2 m/s)
			4th	200 m	20.23   (1.2 m/s)
	IAAF Grand Prix Final	Munich, Germany	4th	200 m	20.21   (−0.8 m/s)
2000	Summer Olympics	Sydney, Australia	3rd	100 m	10.04   (−0.3 m/s)
			4th	200 m	20.20   (−0.6 m/s)
2001	World Championships	Edmonton, Canada	5th (sf)	100 m	10.31   (−1.7 m/s)
2002	Commonwealth Games	Manchester, England	—	100 m	DNS (qf)
2003	World Championships	Paris, France	4th (qf)	100 m	10.14   (0.6 m/s)
2004	Summer Olympics	Athens, Greece	7th	100 m	10.10   (0.6 m/s)
2005	Central American and Caribbean Championships	Nassau, Bahamas	4th	200m	20.53   (1.8 m/s)
	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	6th (qf)	100 m	10.34   (−1.0 m/s)
			—	200 m	DNS (h)

NCAA titles

• NCAA Indoor Championships
  • 200 m: 1996, 1997
• NCAA Outdoor Championships
  • 100 m: 1997
  • 200 m: 1997

Track records

As of July 2025, Thompson holds the following track records for 100 metres and 200 metres.

100 metres

200 metres

See also

In Spanish: Obadele Thompson para niños