“Torpedo” Thompson was on the comeback trail when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced, last week, postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, because of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The 34-year-old sprint star, however, welcomed the news, viewing the decision as an opportunity for another year of preparation.

“The reality of life,” Thompson told the Express, “is that things don’t always go according to plan. Sometimes life throws adversity at us, and those who come out victorious are often the ones who are willing to adjust.”

Thompson is a triple Olympic medallist. At the 2008 Games in Beijing, China, he claimed men’s 100 metres silver, behind Jamaican track legend Usain Bolt. Thompson also secured Beijing ’08 4x100m gold, Jamaica’s disqualification as a result of Nesta Carter’s retrospective positive drug test handing second-placed Trinidad and Tobago an upgrade. There was another silver for the Cascade sprinter in 2012, as part of the country’s 4×1 team.

Thompson, who was sidelined by a hip injury between 2017 and 2019, said a 100m podium finish at the Tokyo Games – originally scheduled for July 24 to August 9 this year – was not among his goals.

“If I’m being honest, I wasn’t in that kind of shape. However, having the ability to fly the Red, White and Black one last time was something that would have given me great joy, and I felt like that was an achievable goal for me. Let’s see if having another year allows me to re-evaluate my goals.”

In his first outing since the 2016 Olympic Games, Thompson finished sixth in the February 21 Louisiana State University (LSU) Twilight meet men’s 60m final, in 6.79 seconds – a far cry from his 6.51 personal best. COVID-19 has handed Thompson an unexpected extension as he bids to regain the world-beating form that propelled him to the national 100m record of 9.82 seconds, back in 2014.

“I fully support the decision to postpone the Olympics. People’s health around the world are at risk and that has to take a greater priority than anything else. 2020 was the goal for me to have my last season. However, having an additional year gives me more time to prepare. Out of unforeseeable circumstances sometimes come positives.

“I am back and forth,” he continued, “between Florida and Louisiana. I’m back in school at LSU so it’s been good to get back into a system there that has helped me tremendously throughout my career. At the moment, I’m in Florida with my wife and sons, following the government guidelines as best as we can so that we can all get through this pandemic as soon as possible.

“I’m coached by Dennis Shaver at LSU. And when I’m in Florida, by Jean Carlos Arroyo at IMG Academy.”

Thompson said that while COVID-19 has disrupted his programme, he continues to train. “All facilities have been locked down indefinitely. And quite frankly, even if they weren’t, I would not put myself and family at risk. I have been doing what I can from home. I haven’t been able to run, but I’ve still been able to do general strength and core exercises. If anything, at my age, this may be a blessing in disguise of getting the rest that my body requires.”

Thompson said he is not worried about the disruption to his training programme. “Everyone’s preparation around the world has been as well, so there’s no disadvantage. Failure to postpone the Games would have compromised fairness, as different countries are being impacted at different times and severity. The assumption is that a year from now there would be normalcy, and all athletes would have a level playing field.”

Thompson had hip surgery in January 2018, but is now fit and ready. “It took me a very long time after my surgery, but thank God I am now fully recovered. This is the first year in about three years that I’ve been able to do required workouts without hiccups. Now I have an additional year to build on that.

“It was a great feeling to taste competition again, back in February, and knock those very thick cobwebs off. I am genuinely enjoying this experience knowing that it’s my ‘last lap’. Just like Kobe (Bryant) in his last year. This sport has given me and my family so much,” Thompson ended, “and I’m soaking up these last moments of what I’ve always dreamt of as a child.”