Francis Morgan "Daley" Thompson, born July 30th, 1958 in London, England, is a former British decathlete. He won consecutive gold medals at the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games, and broke the world record for the event four times. His best score in the event was set in the 1984 Olympic competition at 8847 points, a world record that stood for nine years and an Olympic record that stood for 20 years until the Czech athlete Roman Sebrle scored 8893 points in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. He competed for an unprecedented third Olympic decathlon gold at the 1988 Seoul games, but was severely hampered by injury and could only finish fourth. Thompson was the first athlete to simultaneously hold Olympic, Commonwealth, European and World titles in a single event.
His rivalry with German athlete Jürgen Hingsen was legendary in the sport throughout the 1980s. The pair consistently traded world records, but Thompson always had the upper hand in the major events, remaining undefeated in all competitions for nine years between 1979 and 1987.
He was a natural showman who endeared himself to the British public with his irreverent personality, notably when he nervelessly whistled the British national anthem God Save Our Queen after receiving his gold medal in 1984. Afterwards, he famously sent a message to friends back home via a TV interview by showing his medal and saying I've got the Big G, boys - the Big G!
Sometimes his behaviour caused offence, not least when he refused to carry the flag at the opening ceremony of the 1982 Commonwealth Games, claiming that the effort required participating in the four-and-a-half hour ceremony would reduce his chances of winning his event. Despite this, he was awarded the OBE in 1983.
Since retiring from athletics in 1992, Thompson has been associated with various football clubs and also had stints as a television presenter. However, he will always be remembered as one of Britain's greatest ever athletes, who single-handedly transformed the decathlon from obscurity to an event of national interest.
Championship wins
Last updated: 10-12-2005 20:19:06
