John Thomas began his track career at Rindge Technical High School in Boston. As a 17-year-old freshman at Boston University, John Thomas set a world indoor high jump record of 7-1¼ in 1959. He missed the rest of the 1959 season due to injury, but came back to show the best form of his life in 1960. In February 1960 he set indoor world records of 7-1½ at the Millrose Games and of 7-2 at the AAU Indoor Championships. At the 1960 Penn Relays he set an outdoor world record of 7-1½, but broke the mark several more times that season. He increased the world record to 7-1¾ at the New England AAU Meet, to 7-2 at the AAU Championships, and finally to 7-3¾ at the Final Olympic Trials. At the Rome Olympics, Thomas was the heaviest of favorites, but he finished behind two Soviets, Robert’ Shavlaq’adze, who won the gold, and Valery Brumel. Before the 1964 Olympics, Brumel had usurped Thomas’ title as the world’s premier high jumper, and Brumel again defeated Thomas at Tokyo. Although Thomas did not succeed in winning an Olympic title, he had a fine competitive record. He won two AAU championships outdoors and five indoors, was twice NCAA champion, and for three years he won both the indoor and outdoor high jump at the IC4A meet. After retiring from active competition he took up a coaching appointment at Boston University but later became a regional sales manager for a major telephone company.
Personal Bests: HJ – 7-3¾ (2.229) (1960); LJ – 23-2¼ (7.07) (1962).
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