John Thomas (high jump)

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For other persons named John Thomas, see John Thomas (disambiguation).

John Thomas is an American track and field athlete who set several world records in the high jump using the straddle technique. At the age of 17, while a freshman at Boston University, Thomas became the first man to clear 7 feet indoors. He subsequently pushed the world indoor record to 7'1-1/2", and broke the world outdoor record three times, with a career best jump of 7'3-1/2" in 1960 while just 20 years old. Thomas' meteoric career briefly captivated the track world, but was besmirched by his failure to win an Olympic gold medal, despite being favored to win in both his efforts. In 1960, he took the bronze medal behind Russia's Robert Shavlakadze, and in 1964 he was bested by another Russian, the renowned Valeriy Brumel, who cleared the same top height as Thomas, but was declared the winner based on fewer misses at lower heights. Thomas graduated from Boston University, and later became a successful coach and businessman. He is an inductee of the USATF Hall of Fame.