Peters Prepares To Defend World Title Alongside Thompson

BUDAPEST, Hungary – The reigning world champion, Anderson Peters, returns to the global stage early Friday morning to begin his defense of the javelin crown. No man has ever won three consecutive javelin world titles, but Peters has won two straight.

The Grenadian national record holder will be joined by his former Mississippi State teammate, American, Curtis Thompson, in the first flight of qualifying at 3:10 a.m. CT. Thompson has quietly put together one of the best years of his career, climbing as high at No. 4 in the world rankings this season, the highest mark of his career.

Peters joined world record-holder Jan Zelezny (CZE) as the only back-to-back winners in the event last year. Zelezny won three total crowns in his career, but they were not consecutive. The two-time NCAA Champion boasts the fifth-best throw in world history with a personal-best of 93.07m.

Thompson has thrown 80.92m this year and has a personal best of 87.70m. He reached the final at the 2022 World Championships but was hampered by two fouls. Should he reach the podium, he'd be the first American to do so since 2007 and only the third American to medal in the event at the World Championships.

Athlete Profiles

Anderson Peters (Grenada)

Personal Best: 93.07m (2022) | Season Best: 85.88m (May 5)
World Rankings: No. 3 World | No. 1 Grenada

Became the second man in world history to win back-to-back world championships (2022 and 2019) in the javelin ... previously accomplished by world-record-holder Jan Zelezny (CZE) in 1993 and 1995 ... could become first man to win three consecutive javelin titles and join Zelezny as the only three-time champion in world history ... made his Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics ... holds the Grenadian national record, NACAC Record, Pan American Games record, CARIFTA Games record, NCAA Championships meet record, SEC Championships meet record and MSU school and freshman records ... won gold at the 2019 Pan American Games ... five-time CARIFTA Games Champion, three-time Grenadian champion, three-time winner on the Diamond League circuit and two-time medalist at the Commonwealth Games ... two-time semifinalist for The Bowerman ... two-time NCAA and SEC Champion ... named 2018 SEC Freshman Field Athlete of the Year and 2019 USTFCCCA South Region Field Athlete of the Year.

Curtis Thompson (United States)

Personal Best: 87.70m (2022) | Season Best: 80.92m (July 8)
World Rankings: No. 5 World | No. 1 United States

Finished 11th at his first World Championships in 2022 ... made his Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics ... has climbed as high as No. 4 in the world rankings this season, the best of his career ... seeking to become the first American man to reach the javelin podium at the World Championships since 2007 and third in the history of the event ... three-time USATF Champion in 2018, 2021 and 2023 ... won gold at the 2022 NACAC Championships and silver at the 2018 event ... represented the United States in three global events in 2019 ... missed qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games by 13cm despite winning U.S. Olympic Trials ... State's first NCAA Champion in the javelin in 2016 ... NCAA runner-up in 2019 ... ranks second in MSU history in the javelin.

World Championships Men's Javelin Schedule (all times CT)

Mississippi State University Athletics

Peters Prepares To Defend World Title Alongside Thompson

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