Monday, March 18, 2024

Thompson proud to represent Florence at the Tokyo Olympics

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By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

Florence Township is a small town in New Jersey. However, it’ll be represented on the world stage.

Curtis Thompson has been selected to compete in the Tokyo Olympics. Over the next several weeks, members of the town will be cheering on one of their own.

Future Olympian Curtis Thompson throwing a javelin at a competition this summer
Curtis Thompson throwing a javelin at a competition this summer (Photo by Otto Horiuchi)

The 2014 Florence graduate was the first New Jersey male athlete to finish 1st in Olympic Trials since 1998. He received the call that he was an Olympian on July 1st.

“It means a lot,” he said. “It’s where I grew up and played a lot of my sports. I was able to start throwing javelin freshman year of high school. To have the love and support from this small town that I have means a lot. Even with me going to Mississippi State for school and living in Birmingham, Alabama now, they still support me even though I’m so far away.” After the announcement, he was involved in the town’s Patriotic Day parade on July 10th. He was driven through the parade by his brother Chris.

“Florence Day is the biggest day in the town,” Thompson said. “It’s always been a big celebration with family and friends. For them to allow me to be a part of it, it’s a great feeling. Driving through and seeing everyone come out for the parade, everyone was happy and showed tremendous support to me. It was an awesome experience.”

Members of the town have purchased signs to show support for Thompson. The town is going to have a send off for him early Thursday morning.

“After taking care of business in Oregon, I went to Mississippi State for a little bit,” he said. “That’s actually where I got the ball. With the rankings and qualifying, I was in a good position before the end of the qualifying period. Everyone was like, ‘You made it’ and ‘You’re an Olympian,’ but for “me, I was along the lines of I didn’t get the official call. I was in good standing and there was like a 98% chance that I was going to be a part of the team. There was a possibility in the back of my mind that maybe I wouldn’t make it. Then when I received the call, it was a huge relief. Now, I know there’s still work that needs to be done.”

Thompson will be competing on August 3rd at 8 pm in the United States. There will be 32 throwers, who will get three throws in the competition.

Then, if he advances to the final 12, he will compete in the early morning hours on August 7th. The winner will be determined by the longest throw.

Curtis Thompson Yard Sign
Curtis Thompson Yard Sign (Photo by Anthony Caruso III)

Unfortunately for Thompson, his family cannot travel to see him compete in the Olympics.

“Due to Japan being in a State of Emergency, we cannot have any family there with me,” he said. “They probably will not even have fans there. My family will be watching from somewhere else. There’s no extra pressure. I’ve competed in meets with them there or not there. The end goal is to compete and have fun.”

It means the world to Thompson to represent Team USA. He will be one of two javelin throwers for Team USA.

“To be able to represent the USA on the biggest stage possible, it’s a blessing,” Thompson said. “It’s a great opportunity. It’s an honor and a blessing. It hasn’t sunk in yet. It’ll probably sink in once I get over there and execute and throw far.”

This could be one of many Olympic opportunities for Thompson.

“That’s the plan,” he said. “As long as I continue to make the Team USA teams that I have, there’s a good chance that I can compete again at the Olympics.”

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Anthony Caruso III
Anthony Caruso IIIhttps://thecapitalsportsreport.com
Anthony Caruso III is the Publisher of The Capital Sports Report. He has been in the Journalism field since August 2002. Since that time, Mr. Caruso has covered many marquee events. This includes 13 Heisman Trophy ceremonies, 2 Little World Series events, and one Army-Navy College Football game.
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