LSU Gold

#999 Richard Thompson Season 2006

Position
Sprints
Height
6'2
Class
Redshirt
Hometown
Cascade, Trinidad
High School
Queen's Royal HS

Events: 60M (6.51), 100M (9.89), 200M (20.18)

4-time NCAA Champion
8-time All-American
4-time NCAA Mideast Regional Champion
5-time SEC Champion
8-time All-SEC

Co-Collegiate Record Holder (100 Meters – 9.89)
2008 Olympic Silver Medalist (100 Meters & 4×100 Relay)
2008 NCAA Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year
2008 SEC Male Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year
2008 USTFCCCA South Central Region Male Track Athlete of the Year

CAREER CAPSULE
Richard Thompson will go down as arguably the greatest sprinter to ever wear the LSU uniform after dominating the sport of collegiate track and field during his senior season in 2008. In his first career Olympic Games in the summer of 2008, he became the first LSU athlete to medal in the 100-meter dash by winning a silver medal with a new collegiate record time of 9.89 seconds. He was second only to the world-record run of 9.69 by Jamaican star Usain Bolt. Not only that, but Thompson also anchored Trinidad’s 4×100-meter relay team to a silver medal, putting an exclamation point onto the end of a truly unforgettable season. He became the first Tiger in history to sweep NCAA sprint titles in both the 60-meter and 100-meter dashes in 2008 and was the first collegiate athlete to accomplish the remarkable feat since Tennessee star Justin Gatlin in 2002. In addition, Thompson ran on a pair of NCAA champion 4×100-meter relay teams as a sophomore in 2006 and as a senior in 2008, while racking up a total of eight All-America honors during his collegiate career to tie for sixth in school history. No one has run faster than Thompson in the history of LSU track and field as he finished his career as the school-record holder in both the 60 meters (6.51) and 100 meters (9.89) after establishing both career best marks in his final season in Baton Rouge. Thompson not only dominated NCAA competition as a senior, but he also proved to be the class of the Southeastern Conference by sweeping 100-meter and 200-meter titles at the 2008 SEC Outdoor Championships, becoming the first LSU athlete to accomplish that feat since Byron Logan in 1998. He was a five-time SEC champion and eight-time All-SEC performer in his four seasons with the Tigers. Thompson’s best time of 20.18 in the 200 meters ranks third in the history of the LSU program. While the NCAA team title eluded Thompson during his collegiate career, he did help lead LSU to a total of four runner-up finishes at the NCAA Championships.

2008
Wrapped up a brilliant four-year career at LSU as the premier sprinter in the NCAA in 2008 … Became a worldwide sensation by winning a silver medal in the 100-meter dash and 4×100-meter relay at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing … Set a new collegiate record of 9.89 in the 100-meter final in Beijing … Was named the NCAA Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for his dominance on the track … Also named the SEC Male Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year for the first time in his career in a vote of the league’s head coaches … Became the first LSU athlete to sweep NCAA titles in the 60 meters and 100 meters in the same season and the first collegiate athlete to accomplish the feat since Tennessee’s Justin Gatlin in 2002 … Set a meet record and new school record of 6.51 seconds to win the 60-meter title at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. … Won the 100-meter title at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, with a time of 10.12 in the final … Became the first Tiger in program history to be crowned NCAA champion in the 60 meters, while he joined LSU great Xavier Carter as only the second NCAA champion in the 100 meters in the storied history of LSU track and field … Won a third NCAA title during his senior season by running the second leg on the Tigers’ NCAA champion 4×100-meter relay team … Teamed with Armanti Hayes, Gabriel Mvumvure and Trindon Holliday to clock the third-fastest time in school history and the sixth-fastest time in the history of collegiate track and field at 38.42 in the NCAA final … Added a fourth All-America honor during the 2008 season as he was the NCAA runner-up in the 200 meters after clocking a 20.44 in the national final during the outdoor season … On the strength of his performance, the Tigers earned a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships and a runner-up finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the third straight season … Finished his senior season unbeaten in both the 60 meters and 100 meters … Was a perfect 4-0 in 60-meter finals on the year, including a win at the SEC Indoor Championships with a time of 6.59 in the final… Also won 60-meter titles at the Razorback Invitational (6.62) and New Balance Collegiate Invitational (6.57) … Carried that momentum into the outdoor season as he was a perfect 4-0 in 100-meter finals … Cracked the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters at the SEC Outdoor Championships with a winning time of 9.93 in the conference final … Also won 100-meter titles at the Texas Relays (10.00) and NCAA Mideast Regional Championships (9.97) … After winning his first career SEC title in the 100 meters, he clocked a time of 20.23 in the final to sweep sprint titles with a win in the 200 meters … Became the first LSU athlete to sweep SEC sprint titles during the outdoor season since former Tiger Byron Logan in 1998 … Went on to set a personal best in the 200 meters at 20.18 in the qualifying round at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships to rank third in the history of LSU track and field … Captured the NCAA Mideast Regional title in the 200 meters with a time of 20.21 in the final … After sweeping 100-meter and 200-meter titles at the regional meet, was named the South Central Region Male Track Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCCA … Ran the second leg of the Tigers’ 4×100-meter relay team that finished the season with a 6-1 record … A member of the foursome that won the SEC title with a time of 38.67 at the SEC Outdoor meet … In addition to winning the 4×100-meter relay at both the SEC and NCAA Championships, also ran on the foursome that won titles at the prestigious Texas Relays (38.74) and Penn Relays (39.18) in 2008 … Was named the SEC Male Track Athlete of the Week three times during his senior season, including Jan. 29, Feb. 12 and April 8 … After wrapping up his senior season at LSU, finished runner-up in the 100-meter dash at the Sagicor National Open Track and Field Championships in June where he earned the right to represent his native Trinidad and Tobago at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing, China … It marked his first career appearance in the Olympic Games.

2007
Enjoyed a breakout junior season as one of LSU’s premier sprinters in 2007 … Made the trip to Osaka, Japan, in late August to compete in the IAAF World Championships in Athletics for the first time in his career … Lined up in the 100-meter dash for his native Trinidad and Tobago … Finished 31st in his debut after advancing to the quarterfinal round … Qualified for the World Championships by placing second in the event at the Sagicor National Open Track and Field Championships with a blistering wind-aided time of 9.95 in the final … Clocked the second-fastest time in LSU history with a wind-legal 10.09 in the semifinal round, tying Tiger great Xavier Carter on the school’s all-time performance list … Earned his first career individual All-America honor during the collegiate season by placing fifth in the 100 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June … Ran the third leg on the Tigers’ 4×100-meter relay team that finished as the national runner-up during the outdoor season … Foursome clocked a seasonal best and ninth-fastest time in school history at 38.85 in the final … Also ran on the sprint relay team that defended its title at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships and earned all-conference honors with a second-place finish at the SEC Outdoor Championships … Anchored the sprint relay to its seventh title all-time at both the Texas Relays and Penn Relays … Clocked a then outdoor personal best in the 200 meters with a 20.90 at the Sun Angel Classic … Individually, placed fourth in the 100 and sixth in the 200 at the outdoor conference meet … Also finished 11th in the 100 meters at the NCAA Mideast Regional … Broke the school record in the 60-meter dash during the indoor season, finishing second at the SEC Indoor Championships with a time of 6.64 in the final … Eclipsed the old mark of 6.66 set by former LSU standout Kelly Willie during the 2006 season … Made his first career appearance in the event at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March, finishing the meet in 10th place … Finished 10th in the 200 meters at the SEC Indoor Championships.

2006
Ran the lead leg on LSU’s national championship 4×100-meter relay team that clocked a sizzling 38.44 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June … Also ran the lead leg on the 4×100 team that won titles at both the SEC Outdoor Championships (39.35) and NCAA Mideast Regional (39.12) … Individually, posted a PR of 10.27 in the 100 meters in his final 100-meter race of the outdoor season at the Sagicor Championships on June 24 … Was an NCAA Regional participant after posting a regional qualifying time of 10.43 in the 100 meters in the SEC Outdoor Championships … Competed in the 60 meters during the indoor season … Clocked a personal best of 6.73 in a first-place finish in the final heat of the LSU Invitational on March 3.

2005
Earned All-America honors during his freshman campaign, running the lead leg on the Tigers’ 4×100-meter relay team that finished fourth at the NCAA Championships (38.86) … Also ran on the short relay teams that finished second at the NCAA Mideast Regional and the SEC Championships and first at the LSU Alumni Gold, the Sun Angel Classic and the Tiger Relays … Individually, ran the 100 meters during the outdoor season … Clocked a seasonal-best wind-legal time of 10.66 at the SEC Championships … Clocked a wind-aided 10.61 at the Bulldog Invitational … Ran the 60-meter dash during the indoor campaign … Top time of 6.83 came at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational … Clocked 6.87 during both the prelims and finals of the Holiday Inn Team Invitational.

HIGH SCHOOL
Coached by Ashwin Creed at Queen’s Royal College in Mount Hope, Trinidad … Was named his school’s Athlete of the Year in 2004 … Came to LSU with personal bests of 10.55 in the 100 meters and 21.70 in the 200 meters … Also played soccer as a prep.

PERSONAL
Born on June 7, 1985 … Son of Ruthven and Judith Thompson … Has three siblings named Ruthven, Michelle and Natalie.

 

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