John Thomas doesn’t need any presents on his birthday. He’ll even wait an extra day.
The senior from Sheepshead Bay High School in Brooklyn, New York isn’t greedy either. He doesn’t need anything monetary or tangible for his 18th year milestone.
Thomas wouldn’t mind at all if his belated gift came in the form of some digital numbers on a race clock.
Just a day after celebrating birthday No. 18, the country’s top 300-meter specialist will attempt an assault on the national record of 33.19 seconds when he competes in the annual New Balance Collegiate Invitational Feb. 6 at the N.Y. Armory. Thomas will be among a field of six elite runners that will toe the line in the invitation-only junior 300.
“We are looking to at least get him under 33.5,” Sheepshead Bay coach John Padula confirmed. “If he stays healthy, I think he can do it.”
“Everything is possible,” added the soft-spoken Thomas. “If I get it, I can’t even tell you how happy I’ll be.”
Based on how his season has started off, and his history on the track oval, all signs look positive for the Jamaican-born sprinter to dip under the more than two-decade-old mark that was set by William Reed of Philadelphia back in 1986.
At the Bishop Loughlin Games on Dec. 19, his first meet on the indoor surface this winter, Thomas blazed to a personal best and nation-leading time of 33.95. Last year only three runners in the country broke the 34-second barrier, including Thomas with his 33.98 clocking at the PSAL indoor championships.
Along with the 300, Thomas also presently ranks among the best nationwide in the 200 (US #4, 21.85,), the 400 (US #12, 49.67) and the 55 (US #5, 6.4).
“We knew he would have a great year,” Padula said. “He has just gotten better and better every year. The sky’s the limit for him.”
Thomas, who came to the Brooklyn school from his native Jamaica on Dec. 16, 2007, has been making noise ever since he first stepped foot on American soil. In his initial year as a sophomore for Sheepshead, he was on the school’s 4x100 relay squad that copped a national title at the Nike Outdoor Nationals (NON). His junior year saw him place second in both the 300 and as part of the 4x200 squad at the NYSPHSAA Indoor Track & Field Championships and seventh in the 300 at the Nike Indoor Nationals (NIN).
He followed that season by capturing the 400 and running a leg on the winning 4x100 team in the outdoor state meet.
Padula credits his star athlete's incredible work ethic and dedication to his craft as primary reasons for his success.
“The summer workouts are optional and he’s there almost every day. In three years, he maybe missed two or three practices at the most,” he said. “He just has amazing God-given talent. He’s extremely dedicated. He’s really a talented athlete, explosive, very fast. He can jump. He can hurdle, too. He just has a great work ethic.”
Thomas lists Jamaican phenom Usain Bolt as his idol. In fact, while a freshman running for the Wolmer Boys High School in his homeland, he once trained on the same track, at the same time, as the 2008 Olympic gold medalist and world-record holder in the 100 and 200.
Much like his idol, Thomas seems to run lightning-fast times nearly every single time he laces up his racing spikes.
“The competition (is what motivates me). I am a very competitive person,” he said. “Even if I lose, I make sure I run a fast time. It’s not always winning, but my time at the end.”
Thomas also has the luxury of being on a team that is loaded with quality, high-caliber athletes, such as Richmond Ahadzi in the 55 hurdles (US #4, 7.45) and Rolyce Boston in the long jump (US #8, 22-9). The 4x200 squad, minus Thomas, is currently ranked No. 6 in the country.
“We have a very good program,” Padula said. “We have developed a lot of good athletes. A lot of our kids have gone on to Division I schools.”
The goals for the indoor season for Thomas begin with an attempt at the national mark in the 300. He will then shift his attention to the state championships before returning to NIN in mid-March.
“It seems to be going very well,” Padula said. “He opened the season with his 300 personal best and everything from then is building the way we wanted it.”
In the outdoor season, Thomas will be looking to improve on his PB of 21.68 in the 200 and compete in the 400 hurdles for the first time. A possible attempt to make the national team in Jamaica are also in the plans.
With his Jamaican dialect and quiet demeanor, it’s often difficult to understand when Thomas talks. But he doesn’t have any problem conveying his message when competing against his peers.
“He’s very quiet, except on the track,” Padula said. “That’s when he makes a lot of noise.”
All Photos by Tim Fulton, ArmoryTrack.com
