Peters, Thompson Earn Podium Finishes At World Championships

TOKYO, Japan – Mississippi State's former NCAA champions Anderson Peters and Curtis Thompson both medaled in the javelin at the 2025 World Athletics Championships.

Peters added a silver medal to his collection that includes two world titles. His second-round mark of 87.38m held medal position for the remainder of the competition. Thompson opened the event with a first-round throw of 86.87m. That too was strong enough to hold his podium spot throughout the series as he claimed bronze for his first global medal.

"I could not have asked for a better competition," Peters said. "The distances were pretty close. The guys were hitting it today. Unfortunately, Neeraj [Chopra] was not in form today, but that's javelin. You have to bring you're A game all the time. My qualifying mark of 89.00m could have given me the gold, but I will try not to dwell too much on it. I tried harder than I did yesterday, but my run-up was a bit messy today. I couldn't find the rhythm."

Thompson earned the first men's javelin medal for the United States since 2007. Arguably one of the greatest American javelin throwers in history, the five-time U.S. champion can now add World Championships medalist to his resume. Thompson's toss was just 23 centimeters shy of the longest American throw at a World Championships in history.

"It means the world," Thompson said. "I'm extremely happy to have been able to throw well and bring home the world bronze. I was not the favorite, but I always believed in myself. I always try to win, no matter what, no matter who's there. I came here to get a medal, and I made it. I had ups and downs during my preparation, but I kept trusting the process and I knew I was ready for this moment."

Despite less-than-favorable weather conditions, both Bulldogs put together podium-worthy performances.

Peters, who took the world championship in 2019 and 2022, was one of three athletes in the field to boast more than one championship medal. Peters also holds the third-furthest winning mark in World Championships history with his 90.54m attempt from 2022, and he is one of two men in history to win multiple world titles in the javelin, joined by world record-holder Jan Zeleny (CZE).

Thompson and Peters were central to the legend of JavU at Mississippi State. Both athletes won national titles while donning the maroon and white, and contributed to a podium sweep at the 2019 NCAA Championships, alongside fellow alumnus Tyriq Horsford.

Thompson's performance adds the third medal to the USA's total of 11, and the first for Grenada at the 2025 World Championships.

For more information on the Mississippi State track and field program, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateTF" on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Peters, Thompson Earn Podium Finishes At World Championships

Players Mentioned

Tyriq Horsford

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