Earl Thomson

Earl John "Tommy" Thomson ( * February 15, 1895 in Birch Hills, Saskatchewan, † April 19, 1971 in Oceanside, California ) was a Canadian track and field athlete and Olympic champion.

The family of Thomson had moved to California when Earl was eight years old. But she had retained Canadian citizenship, so that the AAU champion in 1918, was able to start (on the 120 -yard distance) at the 1920 Summer Olympics for Canada in the 110- meter hurdles.

Thomson was favored after he had set up on May 29, 1920 in Philadelphia with 14.4 a world record in the 120 yards hurdles. This time was 0.6 seconds better than the world record of Forrest Smithson on the metric distance which is only 27 inches longer. This world record was in 1931 undercut.

Already in the 110-meter intermediate fraction of the Olympic Games equalized Thomson and the American Harold Barron the world record of 15.0. The final was won Thomson in a new world record of 14.8 against 15.0 in Barron.

Thomson in 1921 and 1922 again AAU champion and then stepped away from competitive sports. Thomson was later for 36 years athletics coach at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.