Curtis Thompson (javelin thrower)

For other people named Curtis Thompson, see Curtis Thompson (disambiguation).

Curtis Thompson (born 8 February 1996) is an American track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. He won the bronze medal at the 2025 World Championships, and gold medals at the 2023 Pan American Games and 2022 and 2025 NACAC Championships.^[1]

Curtis Thompson

Thompson in 2024
Personal information
Nationality	American
Born	(1996-02-08) 8 February 1996 (age 29) Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.
Sport
Sport	Track and Field
Event	Javelin throw
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	87.76 m (Austin, 2025)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  United States World Championships 2025 Tokyo Javelin throw Pan American Games 2023 Santiago Javelin throw NACAC Championships 2025 Freeport Javelin throw 2022 Freeport Javelin throw

Career

Born in Trenton, New Jersey, and raised in Florence Township, New Jersey, Thompson is a 2014 graduate of Florence Township Memorial High School.^[2] Thompson won the NCAA title for Mississippi State University in 2016, and he also won the 2018 USATF Championship.^[3]

At the 2020 United States Olympic Trials (track and field) held in Eugene, Oregon, on June 21, 2021, Thompson captured the javelin title with a top throw of 82.78 meters to beat runner-up Michael Shuey, whose top throw was 79.24. Riley Dolezal finished third with a throw of 77.07. Thompson individually recorded the four best throws of the competition. Representing his country at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Thompson qualified for the final.^[4] He won the gold medal at the 2022 NACAC Championships in Freeport, The Bahamas.^[5]

He was selected for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August 2023.^[6] He won gold at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile in November 2023.^[7]

In August 2024, Thompson threw a 76.79 at the 2024 Summer Olympics qualifications, placing him at 13th place and failing to qualify for the finals.^[8]

He started his 2025 season with a personal best of 87.76m at the Texas Relays.^[9] He threw 83.89 metres to win the javelin throw at the 2025 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon to retain the American national title.^[10] He won the gold medal at the 2025 NACAC Championships, breaking his own championship record set in 2022, with a throw of 87.27 metres.^[5]

In September 2025, he threw 86.67 metres to win the bronze medal at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.^[11][12]

Personal life

His parents are Scott and Karen Thompson. He has one brother, Christopher, who was a collegiate basketball player. Thompson's athletic genes carry through the family as he has several aunts, uncles, and cousins who played badminton for the Jamaican national team. He formerly coached for the Spain Park High School team, before later moving to Huntsville.