Tom Robinson (sprinter)

Thomas Augustus Robinson, MBE (March 18, 1937 – November 25, 2012) was a track and field athlete from the Bahamas, who competed in the sprint events. He was born in Nassau, New Providence. Thomas Robinson Stadium (15,000 seats) in the Bahamian capital Nassau, built in 1981, is named after him.

Robinson represented his native country in four consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1956, where as an 18-year-old, he competed in the 100 metres and 200 metres but did not advance beyond the first round in either event. Four years later in Rome at the 1960 Summer Olympics, Robinson reached the semi-finals in both the 100 metres and the 200 metres; he reached the 100 metres final at the 1964 Summer Olympics and finished in eighth place. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Robinson was part of the team that reached the semi-finals of the 4 × 100 metres relay, where they were disqualified before the finals.

At the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, he won gold in the 200-yards dash and silver in the 100-yards dash. He again won silver in the 100 yards in the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games and the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. He claimed a gold medal at the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games. Robinson was a contributor on the University of Michigan track team from 1958 to 1961, winning multiple team and individual Big 10 championships during his tenure. He was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 1985.

Robinson died on November 25, 2012.