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The Youth Movement Ready to Shine in USATF Outdoor Men's Throws and Multis

Published by
DyeStatPRO.com   Jun 22nd 2015, 10:24pm
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Kovacs Eyes Repeat in Loaded Shot Put

By Scott Bush

The men's shot put has a case to be labeled as the strongest event in American track and field and it's not just because these guys are simple big human beings. We take a look at the throws in our latest USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships preview, as well as a dive into the favorites for the decathlon.

Men's Throws and Multis

Shot Put

With five of the top nine shot putters in the world aiming for one of the three Team USA spots, the competition in this event promises to be fierce.

Defending champion Joe Kovacs leads the way, seeking a repeat and continue to build his reputation as the world’s best shot thrower. After big wins at the Pre Classic and adidas Grand Prix, Kovacs owns the top three further throws in 2015, with his top throw of 22.35 (73-4) and is the only thrower in the world to cruise past the 22 meter (72-2.25) barrier.

Kovacs must keep an eye on both Ryan Whiting and Jordan Clarke. Whiting, currently ranked third in the world, owns a seasons best toss of 21.37m (70-1.25), while Clarke ranks sixth in the world with his runner-up toss at the adidas Grand Prix of 21.34m (70-.25).

Then who can leave off Christian Cantwell and Reese Hoffa. For the first time in a very long time, both veterans could very well be left off the World Championships squad. Of course you can never discount either, but Hoffa’s and Cantwell’s seasonal bests rank fourth and fifth nationally.

A trio of other athletes to watch are 2014 USATF Outdoor Championships runner-up Kurt Roberts and the NCAA Outdoor Championships first and second place shot putters Jonathan Jones and Darrell Hill. Roberts is having a quiet season but knows how to show up big when it matters most, while Jones and Hill are in fine form entering this weekend’s action in Eugene.

Discus

Jared Schuurmans’ rise to the top of the American discus ranks has been fun to watch the past few seasons. At the USATF Outdoor Championships, Schuurmans looks to take one more step forward, as he eyes the top of the podium in Eugene. Schuurmans currently ranks top ten in the world with his toss of 66.10m (216-10.25), which ranks him best in the United States.

Chase Madison enters in the second seed having thrown a world top-15 mark of 65.42m (214-7.5). He’s joined in contention for the national title with NCAA ninth place finisher Rodney Brown, who launched a 65.04m PR at Penn earlier in the year, Andrew Evans, who ranked top ten in the world in 2014 and veterans Russ Winger and Jacob Armbrust.

Hammer

Continuing the trend of young stars taking over where veterans established themselves before, Conor McCullough seeks to upseat AG Kruger and Kibwe Johnson as king of the hammer throw. Johnson is the defending champion, winning last year’s championship title in fine form, while the 36 year old Kruger continues to be an all-time great.

McCullough, who won the NCAA title this month, ranks #14 in the world with his nation-leading mark of 76.91m (252-4). McCullough ranks just ahead of Kruger’s seasonal best of 76.87 (252-2.25).

Add Johnson to the mix, along with Michael Lihrman and Thomas Freeman, and you have five big names all capable of taking home the U.S. crown.

Javelin

The javelin is one of those inspiring events, watching the spear glide through the air, over 250 feet. It’s majestic really and Tim Glover looks to continue to define his career with massive tosses. Glover, who finished third in 2014, seeks a bit of redemption and his US#1, world top 15, mark of 84.09m (275-10.5), is a good start.

While Glover seeks the national title, Sean Furey looks to repeat as champion, and his US#2 toss of 82.59m is similarly good momentum traveling to Eugene this weekend. Furey joins Glover, 2014 runner-up Riley Dolezal and NCAA champion Sam Crouser as the top four favorites.

Decathlon

Since Ashton Eaton earned a ticket to Beijing with his gold medal performance at the 2013 World Outdoor Championships, the men’s decathlon title is up for grabs with a number of individual vying for the title.

The arguable pre-event favorite is Olympian Trey Hardee. While Hardee has struggled with injuries at times, he’s coming into Eugene feeling strong and ready to challenge for a win and a spot on Team USA. Hardee pulled out of decathlon showcase Gotzis earlier this season, but he knows what it takes to qualify.

Hardee’s top competition should come from former University of Washington standout Jeremy Taiwo, who won the USATF indoor multis title and finished sixth in Gotzis with a U.S. seasonal best of 8303 points. The 25 year old seems poised for his second national title of 2015.

The two other multi-event athletes who’ve scored over 8000 points this season are Garrett Scantling and Curtis Beach. Both are strong, youthful and ready to compete on a global stage. They’ll have to improve upon a few events each if they hope to pull ahead of Hardee and Taiwo, but you never know in this two day competition who might prevail.



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