| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1973-12-01)December 1, 1973 Garrison, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | December 30, 2022(2022-12-30) (aged 49) Houston, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Event | 400 m hurdles | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Blinn College | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Eric Ashley Thomas (December 1, 1973 – December 30, 2022) was an American hurdler who represented his native country at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He set his personal best (47.94) in the men's 400 m hurdles event on June 13, 2000, in Rome, Italy.
Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | NJCAA | Blinn College | 1st | 400 m hurdles |
| 1996 | Olympic Trials | Atlanta, Georgia | 4th | 400 m hurdles |
| 1999 | Pan American Games | Winnipeg, Canada | 2nd | 400 m hurdles |
| 2000 | Summer Olympics | Sydney, Australia | 9th | 400 m hurdles |
| 2003 | Pan American Games | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | 2nd | 400 m hurdles |
| World Championships | Paris, France | 14th | 400 m hurdles |
Later life and death
Eric Thomas founded Champion Trainers, LLC in 2005 to train young athletes for success in their chosen sports activities. Champion Trainers provides individualized fitness and athletic programs to improve endurance, speed, agility, flexibility, mechanics and overall performance.
Thomas died on December 30, 2022, at the age of 49.
Charity
The Eric Thomas Foundation, a 501(c) (3) non-profit charitable organization, was organized to raise scholarship funds for youth who wish to pursue higher education and to improve the health and fitness of Texas youths. The Eric Thomas Foundation seeks to target high school athletes or students who would otherwise be unable to acquire financial assistance and support, and will make the dream of obtaining higher education a reality. The Eric Thomas Scholarship was presented to its first recipient at Garrison High School on May 17, 2011.
References
- The Eric Thomas Story - PERSONAL TRAINING TO ACHIEVE YOUR HEALTH & FITNESS GOALS
- Ato Boldon @AtoBoldon The track and field fraternity mourns the loss of USA 400mh Olympian Eric Thomas. He was 49. 🕊️ Ato Bolden
- Eric Thomas, Garrison native and one of world's best hurdlers, dies at 49
External links
- Eric Thomas at World Athletics
- Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Eric Thomas". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18.
| US National Championship winners in men's 400 m/440 yd hurdles | |
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| 1914–1979 Amateur Athletic Union |
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| 1980–1992 The Athletics Congress |
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| 1993–present USA Track & Field |
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| Notes |
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 | This biographical article about an American hurdler is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
- 1973 births
- 2022 deaths
- American male hurdlers
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Olympic track and field athletes for the United States
- People from Carthage, Texas
- Track and field athletes from Texas
- Junior college men's track and field athletes in the United States
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1999 Pan American Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2003 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games
- Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field)
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- American hurdler stubs