Donald Thomas (athlete)

Donald Thomas

Donald Thomas celebrating in Osaka 2007
Personal information
Nationality	Bahamian
Born	(1984-07-10) 10 July 1984 (age 32) Freeport, Bahamas
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight	81 kg (179 lb)
Sport
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	High jump
College team	Auburn Tigers
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	2.37 m
Medal record Men's athletics Representing the  Bahamas World Championships 2007 Osaka High jump Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi High jump Pan American Games 2011 Guadalajara High jump 2007 Rio de Janeiro High jump CAC Games 2010 Mayaguez High Jump Continental Cup 2010 Split High jump

Donald Thomas (born 1 July 1984) is a Bahamian high jumper from Freeport, Bahamas.

Thomas took up high jump in January 2006 while studying at Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, Missouri, where he played on the University's basketball team. He tried high jump for the first time when challenged by members of the track and field team, who were reacting to his claims about his ability to slam dunk. Thomas cleared 6'6" (1.98 m) on his first attempt and 7' (2.13 m) on his third ever jump. The athletes then sought the head track coach Lane Lohr, who entered Thomas in a meet two days later at Eastern Illinois University. At the meet he cleared 7'3.25" (2.22 m), on his seventh-ever jump.

In March 2006, Thomas placed second at the 2006 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships with a height of 7'1.75" (2.18 m). Later that month, just two months after taking up high jump, he finished fourth at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne with a jump of 2.23 m. Not yet experienced at high jump, Thomas gained notoriety at the Commonwealth Games for not measuring his run-up, competing in shoes without spikes, and putting his arms behind his back to land on the mat as if breaking his fall.

During the 2007 indoor season he cleared 2.30 metres for the first time and in March jumped 2.33 metres in Fayetteville, Arkansas. In July 2007 he cleared 2.35 metres in Salamanca, Spain. The result was a new personal best and the world season's best at the time. He then won the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, again with a 2.35 jump. He also won gold at the 2007 IAAF World Athletics Final. That year he also won the IAAF Newcomer of the Year, and the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association Athlete of the Year.