[2] Thompson was first selected to represent Australia at the 1982 Junior World Rowing Championships where he raced a coxless pair with James Galloway to fourth place.

[7] By 1986 he had won a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sports and that year rowing in an AIS crew but in his Torrens RC colours, he again contested the national coxed four title.

[11] He made state selection for South Australia that year in the men's eight contesting the 1987 King's Cup at the Interstate Regatta within the Australian Rowing Championships.

[18] He coached Kate Slatter and Megan Still to a world championship title in a coxless pair in Tampere in 1995 and the following year to Olympic gold in Atlanta.

He coached Great Britain's Katherine Grainger for 12 years, from his arrival in the UK until the London 2012 Olympics, where she and Anna Watkins won gold.

[22] Rower Rick Eglington, the boyfriend of Vicky Thornley who was also coached by Thompson, accused him of being “overbearing” and alleged he “caused unnecessary stress to his top athlete”.

[23] After an inquiry by British Rowing, Thompson was cleared in Feb 2017 of the bullying complaint and continued in his role as the chief coach for women and lightweights.

[25] Thompson was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to rowing and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.