Daley Thompson

Daley Thompson
CBE

Daley Thompson at the 2007 Laureus Day
Personal information
Nationality	British
Born	(1958-07-30) 30 July 1958 (age 58) Notting Hill, London, United Kingdom
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	14 st 7 lb (203 lb; 92 kg)
Sport
Sport	Decathlon
Club	Essex Beagles
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	Decathlon 8,847 points
Medal record International athletics competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 0 0 World Championships 1 0 0 European Championships 2 1 1 Commonwealth Games 3 1 0 Total 8 2 1 Representing  Great Britain Men's athletics Olympic Games 1980 Moscow Decathlon 1984 Los Angeles Decathlon World Championships 1983 Helsinki Decathlon European Championships 1982 Athens Decathlon 1986 Stuttgart Decathlon 1978 Prague Decathlon 1986 Stuttgart 4×100 m Commonwealth Games Representing  England 1978 Edmonton Decathlon 1982 Brisbane Decathlon 1986 Edinburgh Decathlon 1986 Edinburgh 4×100 m

Francis Morgan Ayodélé "Daley" Thompson, CBE (born 30 July 1958), is an English former decathlete. He won the decathlon gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984, and broke the world record for the event four times.

With four world records, two Olympic gold medals, three Commonwealth titles, and wins in the World and European Championships, Thompson is considered by many to be one of the greatest decathletes of all time. Robert Chalmers described him as "the greatest all-round athlete this country [United Kingdom] has ever produced."

Thompson was born in Notting Hill, London, the second son of a Nigerian father and Scottish mother. His father was a taxi driver who was shot dead in Streatham when Thompson was about twelve. At seven years old Thompson was sent to Farney Close Boarding School, Bolney, Sussex, which he described as "a place for troubled children". Thompson's name is a contraction of Ayodele, a Yoruba word meaning "joy comes home". Thompson's first ambition was to become a professional footballer, but he later switched his interests to athletics.

Initially, he was a member of Haywards Heath Harriers, but when he returned to London in 1975 he joined the Newham and Essex Beagles Athletics club, training as a sprinter. He began to be coached by Bob Mortimer, who suggested he try for decathlon. He competed in his first decathlon later that year in Cwmbran, Wales, which he won along with his next competition. In 1976 he won the AAA title and was 18th at the Montréal Olympic Games. The following year, he won the European Junior title and in 1978 came the first of his three Commonwealth titles. In 1979, he failed to finish in his only decathlon of that year, but won the long jump at the UK Championships.