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Daley Thompson

(1958-), Decathlete; Olympian

Sitter in 1 portrait
Born in Notting Hill, London, of Scottish and Nigerian parentage, Thompson won his first major title, gold medal at the Commonwealth Games (1978) for the decathlon. Subsequent gold medals include the Olympic Games (1980 and 1984), Commonwealth Games (1982) and World Championships (1983). Thompson won his third Commonwealth title in 1986. He became the first athlete to win Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European titles and hold a world record. In 1987 he suffered his first decathlon defeat for nine years when he finished ninth in the World Championships, and at his fourth Olympics in Seoul (1988) he finished fourth. Selected for the Commonwealth Games team for the fourth time in 1990, he withdrew due to injury. He retired in 1992 due to a persistent hamstring injury. He has been awarded the MBE (1982), the OBE (1986), and the CBE (2000).

Watch a film clip on the sitter from the BBC Archive in the Media section below

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Daley Thompson

by David Buckland
cibachrome print, October 1986
NPG P323

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London

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Daley Thompson

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