Iwan Thomas

Iwan Thomas, Iwan Gwyn Thomas also, ( born January 5, 1974 in Huntingdon ) is a former British sprinter who specialized track was the 400-meter distance. With his personal best of 44.36 seconds from the year 1997 he has been up to now (April 2007), the second fastest Europeans behind Thomas Schönlebe.

Career

Iwan Thomas began as a BMX rider. He belonged to the European leaders, but switched in 1992 to athletics.

At the Commonwealth Games in 1994 in Victoria (Canada), he stood for the first time in a grand finale and came up with the Welsh relay to seventh place in the 4 x 400 - meter relay. The British team, he won in the same discipline in 1994 bronze at the U23 European Championships.

In 1996 he ran for the first time under 45 seconds. At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, he was s fifth in the 400m in 44.70. The British relay in the occupation of Thomas, Jamie Baulch, Mark Richardson and Roger Black won in 2:56,60 min silver behind the U.S. quartet.

1997 ran Iwan Thomas in Birmingham 44.36 s and thus improved the British record of Roger Black by 0.01 s In the World Athletics Championships in Athens Thomas was in 44.52 s sixth. The British relay in the occupation of Thomas, Black, Baulch and Richardson ran into 2:56,65 min, a second place behind the team from the USA and ahead of the team from Jamaica. In 2008, the IAAF annulled all results of the US- American Antonio Pettigrew since January 1, 1997 because of his doping confessions, so that the British were subsequently declared to the world champion.

In Budapest at the European Championships 1998, Thomas won two titles. About 400 meters he won in 44.52 seconds with a half-second lead over the second-placed Robert Maćkowiak and Mark Richardson in third place. The British relay in the occupation of Mark Hylton, Baulch, Thomas and Richardson won in 2:58,68 minutes before the team from Poland. A month later at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur Thomas won again in 44.52 seconds before Richardson in 44.60 s The season finale won Jamaica ahead of England and Wales, where in addition to Baulch and Thomas still Paul Gray and Doug Turner for Wales ran.

1999 Iwan Thomas did not occur to due to injury. A year later at the Olympic Games in Sydney was the British relay with Thomas Sixth. At the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton Thomas retired from the semi-final over 400 meters and was with the British relay sixth. His last medal won Thomas at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, when he was second with the Welsh relay.

Iwan Thomas is 1,88 m tall and weighed in his playing days 80 kg. He started for the Newham & Essex Beagles. After his successful 1998 season, he was awarded the title of MBE.

Bests

  • 200 m: 20.87 s, August 30, 1997, Bedford
  • 400 m: 44.36 s, July 13, 1997 Birmingham (UK record ) Hall: 46,55 s, February 10, 1996, Birmingham
400 metres 1994 Commonwealth Games 4 × 400 metres relay Mark Richardson (athlete) 1997 World Championships in Athletics 1998 European Athletics Championships Mark Hylton (athlete) 2001 World Championships in Athletics Athletics at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Adolf Metzner Godfrey Brown Derek Pugh John Wrighton Robbie Brightwell Jan Werner (athlete) David Jenkins (athlete) Franz-Peter Hofmeister Hartmut Weber Ingo Schultz Marc Raquil
422046
de