The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

RIO de Janeiro, Brazil — Donald Thomas came into the 2016 Olympic Games with one goal on his mind - to finally win the one medal that has eluded him.

The 32-year-old Grand Bahamian made the final along with fellow Bahamian Trevor Barry and he gave it his best shot, finishing in a three-way tie for seventh place with a leap of 2.29 metres or 7-feet, 6-inches. Barry, on the other hand, was 11th with 2.25m (7-4 1/2).

“Coming into the games, I wanted to make the finals. I accomplished that. Once I got into the final, I wanted to make podium (to get a medal),” Thomas said. “I fell short, but all in all, I walk away kind of disappointed.”

The medals went to Candian Derek Drouin with a season’s best leap of 2.38m (7-9 3/4), while Mutaz Essa Earshim of Qatar took the silver with 2.36m (7-8 3/4). The bronze went to Ukraine’s Bohdan Bondarenko with 2.33m (7-7 3/4).

The Bahamas had lodged a protest against fourth place finisher Robert Grabarz of Great Britain, claiming that he should not have been allowed to clear his season’s best of 2.33m (7-7 3/4). But the IAAF ruled that it was a clean jump even though Grabarz was still standing in the bed celebrating when the bar dropped.

It would not have made a difference in the final outcome, but Thomas said he didn’t allow it to get to him. He noted that the competition was extremely stiff, but he had the capability of going to war with all three medallists.

“It was an intense competition. I felt I was the best jumper in the field that night,” said Thomas of the final on Wednesday night. “I felt it was my time to win it, but I didn’t take advantage of the opportunity. “I just didn’t take advantage of the opportunity.”

Throughout the competition, Thomas said he never really got comfortable, despite the fact that he had a clean slate over the first three heights at 2.20m, 2.25m and 2.29m.

“All of my jumps, I jumped off muscle memory and off the explosive power I have. My run was never down packed.

“As the jumps got higher, I had a lot more to put into it, but I just wasn’t able to put it together.”

Neither did Barry. But Thomas said it was redemption for both of them as they advanced to the final after getting eliminated in the preliminaries at the last Olympics in London, England in 2012.

“It’s always a blessing to be in the final. You can’t take these moments for granted,” Thomas said. “To be here with Trevor was a big deal. He’s my country mate and one of my friends. We help each other and give each other tips and stuff like that. It’s always good to have your country mate next to you when you are jumping. It was a good experience.”

Thomas only wished that Jamal Wilson would have made it a threesome, but he fell short in the preliminaries in his Olympic debut.

“I spoke to him. I told him to keep progressing. Progressing is the key,” he said.

“I told him not to take these moments for granted. I remember my first Olympics, the 2008 Olympics. I said alright, ‘I’m still young and I will be here for the next Olympics.’ Now it’s three Olympics. So just take advantage of the opportunity. The next Olympics he could be in the final.”

As he prepares to leave the Games Village, Thomas is now preparing for his next meet in Switzerland this weekend when he gets back on the Diamond League. Hopefully, he will meet up with the same competitors who beat him out and exact his revenge.