Born:
January 05, 1974
in
London
Best Known For:
Being a former 400m runner.
Early-life:
Iwan Gwyn Thomas was born in London on January 5, 1974. His first taste of success as an athlete came at the World Junior Championships in 1992 as part of the British 4x400m relay team that finished fifth. He went on to study Sports Science and Geography at West London Institute of Higher Education. While at university, he reached the 400m semi-finals in the 1994 Commonwealth Games held in Victoria, Canada.
Career:
In 1995, Thomas won his first championship gold medal as a member of the British relay team at the 1995 European Cup. A year later, he finished fifth in the final of the 400m at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and took silver in the 4x400m event. He won gold medals in the 4x400m relay at the 1997 World Championships in Athens and the individual 400m event at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. Away from the track, Thomas has made the transition to TV, working as a guest presenter on the children's TV show Best of Friends and appearing as a regular guest on The Wright Stuff. He has taken part in celebrity versions of Total Wipeout, Eggheads, Jungle Run and The Million Pound Drop Live. In 2007, he won the realty show Deadline, which required celebrities to compile a magazine with Janet Street-Porter as the editor-in-chief. In August 2015, he was announced as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.
Quote:
'You can guarantee, when the 400m is on, I'll be on the edge of my seat, jumping around like a loon, because I'll wish that I was still out there.'
Trivia:
Thomas supports Tottenham Hotspur FC and Southampton FC. In 2010, he became an ambassador for The Saints Foundation. He was awarded an MBE in 1998.