Henry Thomas (born July 10, 1967) is a former American sprinter known for running at the high school and collegiate levels. A versatile athlete, he was successful at

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

through 400 metres, holding the World Youth best for 100 metres (for over 10 years), set in a race 7 days after he set the world Youth best in the 400 metres. He is the only athlete to simultaneously appear in both the 100m and 400m top lists. Thomas led the team at Hawthorne High School, in

Hawthorne, California Hawthorne is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is part of a seventeen-city region commonly called the South Bay. As of the 2020 US census, Hawthorne had a population of 88, ...

of the 1980s to win the CIF California State Meet in both 1983 and 1984. Individually, he won the

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

in both 1983 and 1984—setting the state record that lasted 14 years, the

in 1984 after finishing second as a sophomore the previous year—setting the state record that lasted 5 years, and anchored his team to

4 × 400 metres relay The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. At top class events, th ...

victories in both years. The 1983 relay was a "come from behind" race passing

Danny Harris Danny Lee Harris (born September 7, 1965) is an American former track and field athlete who specialized in the 400-meter hurdles (400 mH), in which he won silver medals at the 1984 Olympics and the 1987 World Championships. Hurdling car ...

on the final straightaway. Harris won a silver medal at the Olympics the following year. The time of that 1984 victory is still ranked #3, and 1983 is ranked #4 on the all-time list. Hawthorne won that relay 6 years in a row. His 100 metres record was beaten by Hawthorne's Curtis Conway who played in the NFL, and the 200 metres record was beaten by Kareem Kelly who also played in the NFL. Early in the 1985 season, the Hawthorne team, anchored by Thomas' 44.5 split, won the

Texas Relays The Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays are an annual track and field competition held at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas. The University of Texas serves as host for the event, held on either the first or second weekend of April. Events are he ...

in what is still the National High School record 3:07.40. Joining Thomas on that team, as the "slow" newcomer was future Olympic gold medalist Mike Marsh. Shortly after the record, Thomas suffered from

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a ru ...

, requiring surgery. He was unable to compete in the championship meet his senior year, Marsh won the state meet 200 metres in his place. In 2010, Marsh, Thomas, Michael Graham and Sean Kelly joined together to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the record. His best attempt to make an Olympic team came at age 21, when he finished 7th in 1988 Olympic Trials at 200m representing

Santa Monica Track Club Santa Monica High School Girls Track team first coach is Dalal M. Ahmad, a USC graduate doing her second semester of student student teaching . She was placed in charge of the team in 1972 during her second semester of student teaching The Santa Mo ...

. He went to

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

where he is ranked #2 all time in the 200 metres, #3 in the 100 metres and #7 in the 400 metres. Every person ranked ahead of him, except newcomer Craig Everhart, is an Olympic medalist or world record holder. He helped UCLA win the

NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship The NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship refers to one of three annual collegiate outdoor track and field competitions for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for athletes from institutions that make up ...

s twice, 1987 and 1988 and anchored its NCAA record setting 4 × 400 metre relay team (that also

Danny Everett Danny Everett (born November 1, 1966) is an American former track and field athlete who competed in sprinting events, specializing in the 400 metres. He won bronze medals in the 400m at the 1988 Olympic Games and at the 1991 World Championship ...

, Steve Lewis, and Kevin Young, all became Olympic gold medalists). Later in 1988, after failing to make the Olympics himself, he tried out for the UCLA football team. At the time he said (in third person) "I'm getting older now and making my own decisions, and this is something Henry wants to do." Thomas was arrested and later was convicted following a June 29, 1991 robbery and assault at a Los Angeles fast food restaurant. He did not get to compete at the 1992 Olympic Trials. He served 10 years in prison.

References

External links

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California State Records before 2000
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Henry 1967 births Living people African-American male track and field athletes American male sprinters UCLA Bruins men's track and field athletes Track and field athletes from Los Angeles Sportspeople from Hawthorne, California 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople Hawthorne High School (California) alumni