Thomson, Earl J.

Earl J. Thomson, (born Feb. 15, 1895, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Can.—died April 19, 1971), hurdler and versatile track athlete who held the world record for the 110-metre hurdles (1920–28). He was almost completely deaf from the 1940s.

Thomson competed at Dartmouth College (New Hampshire) from 1916 to 1918 (graduated 1920), and then served two years in the Royal Canadian Air Force. In the 1920 Olympic Games at Antwerp, he won the gold medal in the 110-metre hurdles, setting a world record of 14.8 sec, which was tied but not broken until 1928. In 1920 he also set a world record in the 120-yard hurdles of 14.4 sec, the record being tied but not broken until 1931. He was Amateur Athletic Union champion in the 120-yard hurdles in 1918, 1921, and 1922 and Intercollegiate American Amateur Athletic Association champion in 1921. Thomson set a new style in hurdling, running over rather than jumping the hurdles and leaning into and over the hurdles with both arms forward. After graduating from Dartmouth he coached track there in 1922, at West Virginia University (Morgantown) in 1923, and at the U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, Md.) from 1927 through 1963.