Tuesday, August 3
Anderson Peters (GRN), Curtis Thompson (USA)
7:05 PM
Mississippi State
vs
Men's Javelin Qualifying
Peters, Thompson Make Olympic Javelin Debuts Tuesday
July 29, 2021 | Track & Field, Olympic Games
TOKYO, Japan – The school that calls itself #JavU will be well-represented in the men's javelin competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
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Mississippi State's Anderson Peters (GRN) and Curtis Thompson (USA) are set to make their Olympic debuts on Tuesday, Aug. 3 at 7:05 p.m. CT in the qualifying round of the competition. Should they advance, the duo would throw for medals on Saturday, Aug. 7 at 6 a.m.
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The events can be streamed online on NBCOlympics.com or the NBC Sports app. Nearly-live results are available on Olympics.com along with MSU's State to Tokyo webpage and social media feeds. Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of the central time zone.
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After winning the Outdoor World Championship in 2019, Peters is one of the favorites on the runway in Tokyo. The St. Andrews, Grenada, native is hoping to bring his nation its third Olympic medal in any track and field event. Island legend Kirani James won gold in the 400m in London in 2012 and followed with a silver in the event in Rio in 2016.
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The fourth-youngest athlete in the field, Peters is Grenada's first Olympic javelin thrower, and the reigning world champion was the first athlete from the Americas to win the world championship in the event. He is hoping to join Keshorn Walcott (TTO) as the only athletes from the Americas to win Olympic gold.
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Since the first World Championships were contested in 1983, the reigning world champion has won a medal in five of nine Olympic meetings. World-record-holder Jan Zelezny (CZE) is only reigning champion to win gold, doing so at Atlanta in 1996.
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No American has won gold since 1952 when Cy Young and Bill Miller won gold and silver, respectively, and an American has not stood on the podium in nearly 50 years (1972). Thompson hopes to change that.
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The Florence, New Jersey, native is a dark horse candidate entering the Games. In 2016, he missed a trip to Rio by 12 centimeters, throwing 82.88m at the Olympic Trials. He has not eclipsed that mark since, but he tossed the javelin 82.78m at this year's trials to win the USATF crown and show he is ready to return to an international stage.
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For more information on the Mississippi State track and field program, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateTF" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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Holds Grenadian National Record, Pan American Games Record, CARIFTA Games Record, NCAA Championships Meet Record, SEC Championships Meet Record and MSU School Record ... reigning World Champion winning gold at the 2019 IAAF Outdoor World Championships ... won gold at the 2019 Pan American Games ... five-time CARIFTA Games Champion ... Austin Sealy award winner ... two-time NCAA and SEC Champion ... won bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2018 Continental Cup ... named 2018 SEC Freshman Field Athlete of the Year ... two-time semifinalist for The Bowerman.
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Mississippi State's first NCAA Champion in the javelin in 2016 ... NCAA runner-up in 2019 ... two-time USATF Champion in 2018 and 2021 ... won silver at the 2018 NACAC Championships ... represented the United States at the Pan American Games and The Match Europe vs. USA in 2019 and the 2019 Athletics World Cup ... missed qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games by 13cm despite winning U.S. Olympic Trials ... U.S. Olympic Trials Champion in 2021.
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*participation dependent upon qualification
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Mississippi State's Anderson Peters (GRN) and Curtis Thompson (USA) are set to make their Olympic debuts on Tuesday, Aug. 3 at 7:05 p.m. CT in the qualifying round of the competition. Should they advance, the duo would throw for medals on Saturday, Aug. 7 at 6 a.m.
Â
The events can be streamed online on NBCOlympics.com or the NBC Sports app. Nearly-live results are available on Olympics.com along with MSU's State to Tokyo webpage and social media feeds. Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of the central time zone.
 Â
After winning the Outdoor World Championship in 2019, Peters is one of the favorites on the runway in Tokyo. The St. Andrews, Grenada, native is hoping to bring his nation its third Olympic medal in any track and field event. Island legend Kirani James won gold in the 400m in London in 2012 and followed with a silver in the event in Rio in 2016.
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The fourth-youngest athlete in the field, Peters is Grenada's first Olympic javelin thrower, and the reigning world champion was the first athlete from the Americas to win the world championship in the event. He is hoping to join Keshorn Walcott (TTO) as the only athletes from the Americas to win Olympic gold.
Â
Since the first World Championships were contested in 1983, the reigning world champion has won a medal in five of nine Olympic meetings. World-record-holder Jan Zelezny (CZE) is only reigning champion to win gold, doing so at Atlanta in 1996.
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No American has won gold since 1952 when Cy Young and Bill Miller won gold and silver, respectively, and an American has not stood on the podium in nearly 50 years (1972). Thompson hopes to change that.
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The Florence, New Jersey, native is a dark horse candidate entering the Games. In 2016, he missed a trip to Rio by 12 centimeters, throwing 82.88m at the Olympic Trials. He has not eclipsed that mark since, but he tossed the javelin 82.78m at this year's trials to win the USATF crown and show he is ready to return to an international stage.
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For more information on the Mississippi State track and field program, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateTF" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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Bulldog Bios
Anderson Peters (Grenada)
Personal Best: 87.31m (Aug. 10, 2019) | Season Best: 83.46m (June 26) | World Rankings: 5th World, 1st GRNHolds Grenadian National Record, Pan American Games Record, CARIFTA Games Record, NCAA Championships Meet Record, SEC Championships Meet Record and MSU School Record ... reigning World Champion winning gold at the 2019 IAAF Outdoor World Championships ... won gold at the 2019 Pan American Games ... five-time CARIFTA Games Champion ... Austin Sealy award winner ... two-time NCAA and SEC Champion ... won bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2018 Continental Cup ... named 2018 SEC Freshman Field Athlete of the Year ... two-time semifinalist for The Bowerman.
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Curtis Thompson (United States)
Personal Best: 82.88m (July 4, 2016)Â | Season Best: 82.78m (June 21)Â | World Rankings:Â 24th World, 2nd USAMississippi State's first NCAA Champion in the javelin in 2016 ... NCAA runner-up in 2019 ... two-time USATF Champion in 2018 and 2021 ... won silver at the 2018 NACAC Championships ... represented the United States at the Pan American Games and The Match Europe vs. USA in 2019 and the 2019 Athletics World Cup ... missed qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games by 13cm despite winning U.S. Olympic Trials ... U.S. Olympic Trials Champion in 2021.
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Olympic Javelin Schedule (all times CT)
Tuesday, Aug. 3
| Time | Event | Athletes | Country | Watch |
| 7:05 p.m. | Men's Javelin (Qualifying) | Anderson Peters Curtis Thompson |
GRN USA |
NBCOlympics.com |
Saturday, Aug. 7
| Time | Event | Athletes | Country | Watch |
| 6 a.m. | Men's Javelin (Final)* | Anderson Peters Curtis Thompson |
GRN USA |
NBCOlympics.com |
*participation dependent upon qualification
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Players Mentioned
Javelin
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