North Bergen junior sprinter bounces back from hamstring injury
Kevin Thompson called it “the hardest two months of my life.” A sprinter is only as good as the legs that carry him and in the case of the North Bergen High School junior, Thompson’s legs had failed him at the worst opportune time.
“On Jan. 12, I pulled my hamstring a little, but on Feb. 1, I really did it,” Thompson said. “I knew it was pretty bad.”
The hamstring injury caused Thompson to miss the remainder of the indoor track season. The injury was so extensive that rest alone wasn’t going to be the remedy. In order to get healthy to compete again, Thompson was going to require some extensive medical treatment.
“By the time April came around, it still hurt,” Thompson said. “I was kind of worried. I didn’t know how long it would last.”
North Bergen track and field coach Yael Martinez brought Thompson to visit some of the medical training staff for the New York Giants.
“They worked on me for three weeks,” Thompson said. “I knew I had to be patient, that if I did what they said, I would eventually get better. So I waited. It was hard for me to watch everyone else run and I couldn’t do anything.”
“Once he started getting therapy, then little by little he was improving,” Martinez said. “We knew it was just a matter of time.”
Thompson also realized that he had to do other things to help his body heal.
“I had to drink a lot of water and eat right,” Thompson said. “I always eat right anyway, but I had to drink water, not even juice. I had to make sure that if I got back on the track, that nothing else would happen again.”
As May began, Thompson started to show signs that he was ready to return to his brilliant form. He participated at the highly competitive Bernards Invitational, where he won the 100-meter dash.
“His times were improving,” Martinez said. “That was the first sign that he was coming back.”
“That’s the first time that I really tested the leg and pushed it,” Thompson said. “At first, I was just happy to be back on the track, but then I had to see if I could really push it and see if I was back. Each time, I just drank more and more water and stretched for like a half hour before I ran. I had to make sure that I was healthy.”
Last weekend, at the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group IV championships at Wayne Hills High School, Thompson broke two meet records in winning the gold medal in the 100-meter dash and placing second in the 200 meters.
Thompson ran a 10.6 in the 100 meters, breaking a meet record that stood for four years and winning the gold medal in the process. He also broke the meet record for the 200-meter dash, but lost the race in the last stride, when Reggie Berry of Morristown leaned forward at the tape to nip Thompson. Thompson’s time of 21.6 was also a new meet standard.
Thompson also ran a 21.5 in the trials, which would have given him the record alone.
“He just had a great day,” Martinez said. “It was good to see him back.”
For his efforts, Thompson has been selected as The Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week for the past week. It marks the third straight year that Thompson has received the honor for his efforts during the spring outdoor track season.
Thompson, who now heads to the NJSIAA Group IV meet this weekend in Egg Harbor Township as the No. 1-ranked runner in the state in the 100 meters and is ranked No. 2 (behind Berry) in the 200 meters, is looking for a chance to win both events.
“I know in my heart that I could have won the race (the 200 meters),” Thompson said. “I know I can do better. It was a good week for me and I’m not going to let any of that stuff get to me. I’m just focused on this weekend and trying to win both. I’m happy with winning the 100 and I’m excited about my 200 time. I’m just going to keep working hard and do my best in both events.”
Thompson will look to improve on last year’s performances in the state Group IV meet and eventually the NJSIAA Meet of Champions. He was fourth in the 100 and third in the 200 last year in Group IV and subsequently finished sixth in the 100 and eighth in the 200 at the Meet of Champions.
“I think he can improve on those, now that he’s healthy,” Martinez said. “He’s in good shape for the meets this weekend. He’s the hardest worker I have. You don’t have to tell him what to do. He hits the weights hard, works hard. His strength and stamina continue to enable him to cut down on his times. He has a strong will and desire to want to compete.”
Martinez said that Thompson also has a great attitude off the track as well.
“He has the perfect demeanor,” Martinez said. “I think if you diagrammed the perfect athlete, in everything he does, it would be Kevin.”
Thompson just knows that he’s fortunate enough to have recaptured his health before the biggest meets of the season.
“When I first got hurt, I didn’t think it was going to be that bad,” Thompson said. “But I was out for two months and that was really tough. I know now what I have to do to get ready. I have to do things the right way. I will try not to mess things up and keep on doing what I’m doing, maybe even a little better.”