Jessica Woodard bombed the 3rd-best throw of her spectacular shot put career Saturday and improved her standing as the No. 1 American woman this year.
Woodard, a Cherokee High School graduate, threw 61-7 at the USATF Golden Games at Mt. SAC University in Walnut, Calif. She was already No. 1 American before the meet with a 59-6 from an outdoor meet at Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix back in February.
Her 61-7 is less than seven inches off her lifetime best of 62-3 ¾ from a meet in Tucson last May. It’s No. 6 in the world so far this year.
Woodard opened with a 60-4 ½ and after a 59-10 ¼ fouled on her third attempt. She recorded the 61-7 on her fourth attempt and then fouled on her last two. Jamaican Danniel Thomas-Dodd, a two-time Olympian and two-time World Championship silver medalist, won the event with a throw of 62-1, No. 4 in the world this year.
American Jessica Ramsey briefly passed Woodard and moved into second place with a 61-4 ¾ on her fourth throw before Woodard passed her back to reclaim second place behind Thomas-Dodd and to reclaim the No. 1 spot in the 2022 U.S. rankings.
Woodard ranks No. 18 in U.S. history indoors and No. 20 outdoors.
Here’s a look at all of Woodard’s 60-foot throws:
62-3 3/4 … Tucson Elite Classic, Tucson, Ariz., May 20, 2021
61-10 1/4 … USATF Throws Festival, Tucson, Ariz., May 22, 2021
61-7 … USATF Golden Games, Walnut, Calif., April 16, 2022
61-4¼i … U.S. Indoor Championships, Spokane, Wash., Feb. 26, 2022
61-3½ … NCAA Championships, Eugene, Ore., June 7, 2018
60-10i … U.S. Indoor Championships, Spokane, Wash., Feb. 26, 2022
60-9½ … USATF Golden Games, Walnut, Calif., May 9, 2021
60-7¼ … USATF Golden Games, Walnut, Calif., May 9, 2021
60-7½i … Don Kirby Elite, Albuquerque (N.M.) Convention Center, Feb. 12, 2022
60-5¾ … Tucson Elite Classic, Tucson, Ariz., May 20, 2021
60-4¾ … USATF Throws Festival, Tucson, Ariz., May 22, 2021
60-4 … Goteborg Grand Prix, Goteborg, Sweden, Aug. 16, 2019
60-3¼ … U.S. Olympic Trials, Eugene, Oregon, June 24, 2021
60-3 … Big 12 Championships, Lawrence, Kans., May 13, 2017
60-1¼ … Chula Vista High Performance #3, Chula Vista, Calif., May 2, 2021
60-½ … Chula Vista High Performance #1, Chula Vista, Calif., April 3, 2021
60-4½ … USATF Golden Games, Walnut, Calif., April 16, 2022
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 