Moorestown’s Kevin McDonnell won the Captain Bill Gallagher Island 10-Mile Run Saturday in Sea Isle City by nearly a minute.

McDonnell, a former Camden Catholic and St. Joe’s runner, covered the 10-mile course in 54:21.57. David Dorsey of Philadelphia was second in 55:10.63.  The course is partially on the boardwalk but mainly on hard-packed sand on the beach at low tide.

Pat McCurry, a graduate of Hammonton and the 2016 NJAC steeplechase champion for Rowan, was 3rd in 57:50.40, and Sterling and St. Joe’s graduate Jimmy Daniels placed 4th in 57:55.93. Shawn McBride, who also ran for Hammonton and now lives in Haddon Township, took 4th in 58:09.06.

McDonnell and Dorsey went 1-2 in last year’s race as well, McDonnell winning in 56:34.16 and Dorsey 2nd in 57:19.76.

The top South Jersey finishers in the women’s race were Rebecca Millar of Woodbine and Ocean City High School and Amanda Eller of Woodbine and Millville and Monmouth. Millar was 5th in 71:12.89 and Eller 6th in 71:25.37.

Matt Hoffman, a rising junior at Ocean City, won the men’s 16-and-under age group race in 70:04.78, 23 seconds ahead of Cedar Creek rising junior Matthew Winterbottom.

Kelli Velez of Haddon Township won the women’s 40-44 age group by over five minutes in 90:55.45, and Joyce Phillips of Mount Laurel was first in the women’s 45-49 race in 78:46.72.

John Thomson of Cape May Courthouse won the men’s 55-59 race in 75:41.89,

For full results, cllick here.

 

Kingsway’s Ryan Allen, Millville’s Brianna Craig and Highland’s Floyd Whitaker will be in action this week at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in South America.

The six-day meet opens Monday and runs through Saturday at Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium in Santiago de Cali, Colombia.

World Athletics finally got around to posting official entry lists here.

To be eligible for the Under-20 meets, athletes can’t turn 20 during the year of the event.

Ryan Allen: Allen, who graduated last month from Kingsway, qualified for World U20s by winning the 10,000-meter racewalk at the U.S. Junior Championships in Eugene. Allen was timed in 49:53.14, a two-minute PR.

The 10,000-meter racewalk is a one-race final by time scheduled for 9:35 a.m. Friday in Cali, which is 12:35 p.m. Friday EST.

EDIT: Allen’s name does not appear on the entry list for Cali, so either he needed to hit a certain time to qualify despite winning USATF Juniors or he was unable to travel to South American for another reason. the USATF web site literally is no help at all figuring any of this stuff out.; But good luck to Ryan as he continues on with his career!

Bryanna Craig: Craig scored a PR 5,388 points – the 11th-highest score ever in the high school record book – at Junior Nationals but initially didn’t qualify for World Under 20s because she finished in 3rd place, 13 points out of second. But because of an administrative issue facing one of the finishers ahead of her, Craig – as the 1st alternate – got one of the two qualifying spots for Cali.

Craig, who grew up in Millville, graduated from Ruston (La.) High School this month and will be a freshman this fall at Purdue. The heptathlon gets underway Wednesday with the hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200 and concludes Thursday with the long jump, javelin and 800.

Craig is ranked 24th on the World Athletics Under-20 heptathlon performance list, and she’s the No. 17 seed overall.

The first event Wednesday is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. EST and the first event Thursday is slated for 12:30 p.m.

Floyd Whitaker: Whitaker took 2nd at Junior Nationals with a 50-4 ½. He had two 50-foot jumps and a 49-10 that was the best wind-legal jump of the competition.

Whitaker is ranked 55th in the world on the World Athletics Under-20 performance list, and he’s the No. 14 seed this week. He has a PR of 51-5 1/4 from January indoors in Minneapolis.

Qualifying for the triple jump is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday, with the final slated for 7:55 p.m. Friday.

World Athletics added a team scoring element to this year’s meet in Eugene, and not surprisingly the United States won the team title, nearly tripling 2nd-place Jamaica.

The U.S. finished with 328 points on an 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scoring system, with Jamaica [110], Ethiopia [106] and Kenya [104] next.

But what about a team competition within the U.S.?

Who was the top state?

The answer to that question might surprise you.

Tim Callinan had this brilliant idea to take all 328 U.S. points (minus relays) and score the meet by state. So he researched where every U.S. top-eight finisher went to high school and using the same 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scoring system came up with a World Championships state competition.

Callinan is the Cinnaminson girls coach, a three-time state champ at Sacred Heart High in Vineland and a two-time MAC steeplechase champion at Widener.

Here’s what he came up with:

Ten states scored at least 10 points at Worlds, but the top three were New Jersey with 27 points, California with 24 and Texas with 21.

We win.

Amazing.

Here’s where New Jersey got its 27 points:

8 points … Sydney McLaughlin, Union Catholic [1st in women’s 400-meter hurdles]
8 points … Athing Mu, Trenton [1st in women’s 800]
6 points … Josh Awotunde, Delsea [3rd in men’s shot put]
3 points … Keturah Orji, Mount Olive [6th in women’s triple jump]
1 point … Jessica Woodard, Cherokee [8th in women’s shot put]
1 point … Ajee Wilson, Neptune [8th in women’s 800]

And that total would likely have been higher if defending champion Nia Ali from Pleasantville hadn’t wiped out in the trials of the 100-meter hurdles. New Jersey also nearly scored in the javelin, where Curtis Thompson reached the finals and placed 11th, about 12 feet out of 8th place.

Incredibly, New Jersey would have placed 18th as a country, ahead of Norway, Nigeria, Switzerland, Greece, Peru, Portugal, Algeria, Finland, Venezuela, Barbados and dozens of others.

Great stuff from Cal!

To understand how remarkable the year’s World Athletics Championships in Eugene was for South Jersey, consider this:

–> It had been 27 years since any South Jersey high school graduate was a finalist or placed in the top 12 in any men’s event at Worlds, and this year two did.

–> It had been 29 years since three South Jersey athletes were finalists or placed in the top 12 in any event at Worlds, and this year three did.

–> In the last 12 World Championships combined, two South Jersey athletes were finalists or in the top 12 in any men’s or women’s event. This year, three were.

And that’s all with Nia Ali, the defending 100-meter hurdles champ and a lock for the finals, not making it out of the trials after she crashed to the track after hitting the 9th hurdle.

Delsea graduate Josh Awotunde placed 3rd in the shot put with a personal-best 73-1 1/2, Cherokee graduate Jess Woodard placed 8th in the shot put with a throw of 61-3 1/2 and Florence graduate Curtis Thompson took 11th in the javelin with a throw of 258-3.

Awotunde is the first male medalist from South Jersey since 1993, when Edgewood graduate Dennis Mitchell was 3rd in both the 100 and 200 and ran the 3rd leg on the winning 400-meter relay team, and Woodbury’s Jack Pierce placed 3rd in the 110-meter hurdles.

Awotunde, Thompson and Woodard are the first throwers from South Jersey to ever reach the finals at the World Champi0nships.

The last time South Jersey had at least one male and female finalist at Worlds was the inaugural meet in 1983 – some 39 years ago – when Carl Lewis of Willingboro won the 100 and long jump and anchored the winning 400-meter relay team, and younger sister Carol placed 3rd in the long jump.

Here’s a look at every top-12 placer from South Jersey in meet history:

MEN
1983 [Helsinki]
Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 1st, 100-Meter Dash [10.07]
Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 1st, Long Jump [28-0 ½]
Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 1st, 400-Meter Relay (anchor) [37.86wr]

1987 [Rome]
Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 1st, 100-Meter Dash [9.93]
Jack Pierce [Woodbury], 4th, 110-Meter Hurdles [13.41]
Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 1st, Long Jump [28-5 ¼]
Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 1st, 400-Meter Relay (anchor) [37.90]
Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 1st, 400-Meter Relay (anchor heats, semis) [38.80, 38.33]

1991 [Tokyo]
Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 1st, 100-Meter Dash [9.86wr]
Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 3rd, 100-Meter Dash [9.91]
Jack Pierce [Woodbury], 2nd, 110-Meter Hurdles [13.06]
Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 2nd, Long Jump [29-2 ¾w, 29-1]
Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 1st, 400-Meter Relay (anchor) [37.50wr]
Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 1st, 400-Meter Relay (third leg) [37.50wr]

1993 [Stuttgart]
Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 3rd, 100-Meter Dash [9.99]
Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 4th, 100-Meter Dash [10.02]
Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 3rd, 200-Meter Dash [19.99]
Jack Pierce [Woodbury], 3rd , 110-Meter Hurdles [13.06]
Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 1st, 400-Meter Relay (third leg) [37.48]

1995 [Gothenburg]
Jack Pierce [Woodbury], 4th, 110-Meter Hurdles [13.27]

2022 [Eugene]
Josh Awotunde [Delsea], 3rd, Shot Put [73-1 ½]
Curtis Thompson [Florence], 11th, Javelin [258-3]

WOMEN
1983 [Helsinki]
Carol Lewis [Willingboro], 3rd, Long Jump [23-1w, 22-8 ¾]

2013 [Moscow]
English Gardner [Eastern], 4th, 100-Meter Dash [10.97]
English Gardner [Eastern], 2nd, 400-Meter Relay (third leg), [42.75]

2015 [Beijing]
English Gardner [Eastern], 2nd, 400-Meter Relay (first leg), [41.68]

2017 [London]
Nia Ali [Pleasantville], 8th, 100-Meter Hurdles [13.04]

2019 [Doha]
Nia Ali [Pleasantville], 1st, 100-Meter Hurdles [12.34]

2022 [Eugene]
Jessica Woodard [Cherokee], 8th, Shot Put [61-3 ½]

Florence’s Curtis Thompson placed 11th in the javelin Saturday night at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene.

Thompson only got off one legal throw in the first round of the finals, throwing 258-3 on his first attempt, well below his 268-1 in Friday’s qualifying round. He fouled on his second and third attempts.

Nonetheless, Thompson this week at Hayward Field became only the 8th American ever to reach the javelin final at the World Championships and the first since Sean Furey in 2009.

Only Breaux Greer, Tom Petranoff, Holmdel’s Bob Roggy and Tom Pukstys (who is one of Thompson’s coaches) have ever placed higher than Thompson among Americans at Worlds:

All-Time U.S. World Championships Javelin Finalists
285-5 … Breaux Greer, 2001 [4th]
282-11 … Breaux Greer, 2007 [3rd]
280-10 … Tom Petranoff, 1983 [2nd]
266-8 … Tom Petranoff, 1987 [4th]
261-7 … Bob Roggy, 1983 [9th]
255-7 … Tom Pukstys, 1993 [9th]
255-0 … Rod Ewaliko, 1983 [11th]
258-3 … Curtis Thompson, 2022 [11th]
244-5 … Sean Furey, 2009 [12th]
238-0 … Duncan Atwood, 1987 [12th]

Thompson missed the eight-man final round of three additional throws by about 11 inches. He was sitting in 6th after the first round and 8th after the second round but ultimately wound up about 11 feet shy of the final.

The 11th-place finish is Thompson’s best at an international championship meet. He placed 21st at the Olympics last year.

Thompson ranks No. 3 in U.S. history with his 287-9 from East Stroudsburg earlier this month. Six of the eight-best throws of his life have come since April, with five of them this month.

Thompson’s Mississippi State teammate, Anderson Peters of Grenada, won the gold medal with a throw of 297-0 on his final throw, becoming the first to repeat a World Championships triumph since Jan Železný in 1993 and 1995. Peters had the top four throws of the competition.

Here’s a look at all of Thompson’s 260-foot throws:
287- 9 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
273- 4 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
271-11… Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 4, 2016
271- 7 … Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, June 21, 2021
269- 7 …American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
268- 1 … Oregon Relays, Hayward Field, Eugene, April 23, 2022
268- 1 … World Athletics Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 21, 2022
267- 4 … World Athletics Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 21, 2022
267- 2 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 22, 2021
266- 5 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 21, 2022
265-10 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 17, 2021
265-10 … Florida State Relays, Mike Long Track, Tallahassee, Fla., March 25, 2016
265- 7 … Victoria Track Classic, Centennial Stadiumn, Victoria, British Columbia, June 15, 2022
264- 8 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 21, 2022
264- 1 … USATF Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., June 26, 2022
263-10 … 94th annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, Mike A. Myers Stadium, Austin, Texas, March 25, 2022
260-11 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 30, 2016
260- 1 … NACAC Under-23, San Salvador, Estadio Jorge “Mágico” González, June 17, 2016

Nia Ali’s bid for a repeat World Championship triumph ended in heartbreak Saturday when the Pleasantville High School graduate hit the 10th hurdle in the trials and went down on the track, unable to finish the race.

Ali was leading the first of six qualifying races at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., and with the top three in each race plus the next-six fastest hurdlers advancing to Sunday’s semifinals, she only needed a pedestrian time over 13 seconds to qualify.

Ali, racing in lane 5, got a tremendous start and was just ahead of world No. 6 Britany Anderson of Jamaica before smacking the back of her lead leg into the 9th hurdle. She stumbled coming off the hurdle, losing her steps, and then smashed into 10 and crashed to the track six or seven meters from the finish line.

Ali hit the 9th hurdle so hard she knocked the hurdle in lane 6 out of place, resulting in a DQ. So even if she had been able to finish the race with a fast enough time to advance, she would not have been able to race in the semis.

Anderson of Jamaica wound up winning that heat in 12.59, and she was just behind Ali when she went down, so Ali would have probably run something around 12.55 in a clean race. Third place in that race was 13.04, and everyone who ran faster than 13.12 advanced to the semis.

Ali, the Olympic silver medalist in 2016 and World Champion in 2019, is No. 10 in world history with her 12.34 from her win at Worlds in Doha, Qatar, three years ago. She’s also No. 10 in the world this year with her 12.49 in the semifinals at U.S. Nationals on the same track last month.

The 33-year-old Ali had her 3rd baby last year and went 895 days between 100-meter hurdles races after the World Championships before returning to world-class form.

Because this year’s World Championships was originally scheduled for 2020 and the meet is held every other year, 2023 is also a World Championships year, so Ali could have another shot at a 2nd world title in Budapest if she wishes to continue competing. The next Olympics is in Paris in 2024.

Ali, a 2006 Pleasantville graduate, is scheduled to race again on Aug. 6 at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial Diamond League meet in Silesia, Poland.

After a two-year layoff, Nia Ali is returning to form just in time for the World Championships.

Ali, who graduated from Pleasantville High School in 2006 after starting out at West Catholic in Philly, opens up defense of her 2019 World Championship in the 100-meter hurdles on Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

Ali is seeking to become the first woman to win the 100-meter highs at consecutive World Championships since American Michelle Perry in Helsinki in 2005 and Osaka in 2007.

Ali ranks 10th in the world this year with her 12.49 in the semis at the U.S. Championships last month in Eugene, and she’s also 10th all-time in world history with her 12.34 from Worlds in 2019 in Doha, Qatar.

Ali has picked up where she left off after not running a 100-meter hurdles race for 895 days.

Virtually the entire 2020 season was cancelled, and Ali sat out 2021 – including the Olympics – to have a baby with her partner, sprinter Andre De Grasse. It was her 3rd child.

After she won in Doha on Oct. 6, 2019, Ali did not run another 100-meter hurdles race until March 19, 2022, when she opened the outdoor season at the Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables, Fla., with an eye-popping 12.59.

She matched the 12.59 in the heats at nationals before hitting that 12.49 in the semifinals.

As defending World Champion, Ali only had to prove her fitness at nationals, so she scratched out of the final and comes into Worlds as the No. 8 seed based on fastest 2022 times [and has the 4th-fastest PR]:

She’s raced once since nationals and ran 12.53 at the Diamond League meet in Stockholm late last month. So two of the six-fastest times she’s ever run have come since returning from a two-year layoff.

The 100-meter hurdles trials are scheduled for 2:20 p.m. EST Saturday, with the semis slated for 8:10 p.m. Sunday and the final at 10 p.m. Sunday.

2002 …  PR … All-Time Rank
12.34 … 12.20 … # 1 … Kendra Harrison [USA]
12.35 … 12.35 … #12 … Alaysha Johnson [USA]
12.37 … 12.26 … # 4 … Jasmine Camacho-Quinn [PUR]
12.44 … 12.44 … #29 … Demisha Roswell [JAM]
12.45 … 12.40 … #19 … Britany Anderson [JAM]
12.46 … 12.44 … #29 … Tonea Marshall [USA]
12.47 … 12.47 … #41 … Alia Armstrong [USA]
12.49 … 12.34 … #10 … Nia Ali [USA]
12.59 … 12.32 … # 8 … Danielle Williams [JAM]
12.60 … 12.53 … #57 … Megan Tapper [JAM]
12.60 … 12.60 … #81 … Devynne Charlton [BAH]

Here are the 10 fastest times of Ali’s career:
12.34 … World Championships, Doha, Qatar, Oct. 6, 2019 [1st]
12.44 … World Championships, Doha, Qatar, Oct. 6, 2019 [sf]
12.48 … U.S. Championships, Des Moines, Iowa, June 22, 2013 [3rd]
12.49 … U.S. Championships, Eugene, Ore., June 25, 2022 [sf]
12.52 … U.S. Championships, Sacramento, Calif., June 24, 2017 [2nd]
12.53 … Bauhaus Galan, Stockholm, June 30, 2022 [3rd]
12.55 … U.S. Championships, July 27, 2019 [2nd]
12.55 … U.S. Olympic Trials, July 8, 2016 [3rd]
12.57 … Müller Anniversary Games, London, July 20, 2019 [2nd]
12.57 … U.S. Championships, Des Moines, Iowa, June 22, 2013 [sf]

Florence’s Curtis Thompson became the 8th American man to reach the javelin finals at the World Championships Thursday night in Eugene.

Thompson, competing against the best throwers in the world, threw 268-1 and recorded the 8th-best throw out of 28 competitors to take one of the 12 qualifying spots.

He’s the first U.S. thrower to reach the final in 13 years, since Sean Furey in 2009. The last American to place in the top 10 is Breaux Greer, who was 3rd in 2007.

The top 12 throwers – or all throwers over 273-11 [83.50 meters] – advanced to the final on Friday. Athletes get three throws in the qualifying round on Thursday, and those marks do not carry over to the finals. Only four hit the auto standard of 273-11. The cutoff for finals was 262-6.

The final is scheduled for 9:35 p.m. Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene, where Thompson has recorded five of the top eight throws of his life.

Only two Americans have ever placed among the top-8 in a World Championships javelin competition: Greer was 4th in 2001 and 3rd in 2007, and Tom Petranoff was 2nd in 1983 and 4th in 1987.

Thompson opened with a 268-1 and followed that with a 267-4 and a foul on his final attempt. Those are the 6th- and 8th-best throws of his life.

He was sitting in the 5th spot after the Group A competition and then watched as only three throwers in Group B surpassed his mark.

Thompson has only had two meets in his life where he’s thrown at least 267 feet more than once – and they’re his last two meets. Five of his eight-best throws ever have been this month.

Thompson’s 268-1 makes him the No. 4 American ever at the World Championships behind Greer, the American record holder; New Jersey’s Bob Roggy – a graduate of Holmdel High School; and former old javelin world record holder Petranoff.

Here’s a look at the top marks ever by American throwers in World Championships history:
285-5 … Breaux Greer, 2001 [4th]
284-8 …… Greer, 2007 [q]
282-11 …… Greer, 2007 [3rd]
282-8 … Bob Roggy, 1983 [q]
284-1 …… Greer, 2001 [-]
281-1 … Tom Petranoff, 1983 [q]
280-10 …… Petranoff, 1983 [2nd]
279-10 …… Petranoff, 1983 [-]
276-7 …… Greer, 2007 [-]
274-3 …… Greer, 2001 [q]
273-3 …… Greer, 2007 [-]
268-1 … Curtis Thompson, 2022 [q]

Here’s a look at all the American javelin finalists in World Championships history:
285-5 … Breaux Greer, 2001 [4th]
282-11 … Breaux Greer, 2007 [3rd]
280-10 … Tom Petranoff, 1983 [2nd]
266-8 … Tom Petranoff, 1987 [4th]
261-7 … Bob Roggy, 1983 [9th]
255-7 … Tom Pukstys, 1993 [9th]
255-0 … Rod Ewaliko, 1983 [11th]
244-5 … Sean Furey, 2009 [12th]
238-0 … Duncan Atwood, 1987 [12th]

The two other Americans, Tim Glover and U.S. champion Ethan Dobbs, finished 24th and 27th.

Thompson, an Olympian in 2021, was competing for the first time since a remarkable breakthrough series at the American JavFest in East Stroudsburg earlier this month, where he threw 287-9, which is No. 7 in the world this year and made him the No. 3 thrower in U.S. history and the No. 1 thrower under 30 years old in U.S. history.

Here’s a look at the 12 qualifiers for Saturday’s final:
294-11… Anderson Peters [GRN] (Group B)
290- 0 … Neeraj Chopra [IND] (Group A)
286- 4 … Julian Weber [GER] (Group B)
279- 7 … Jakub Vadlejch [CZE] (Group A)
273- 7 … Ihab Abdelrahman [EGY] (Group A)
270- 4 … Oliver Helander [FIN] (Group B)
270- 1 … Roderick Genki Dean [JAP] (Group A)
268- 1 … Curtis Thompson [USA] (Group A)
268- 0 … Arshad Nadeem [PAK] (Group B)
265- 2 … Andrian Mardare [MDA] (Group B)
263-10 … Rohit Yadav [IND] (Group B)
262- 6 … Lassi Etelätalo [FIN] (Group A)

And here’s a look at all of Thompson’s 260-foot throws:
287- 9 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
273- 4 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
271-11… Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 4, 2016
271- 7 … Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, June 21, 2021
269- 7 …American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
268- 1 … Oregon Relays, Hayward Field, Eugene, April 23, 2022
268- 1 … World Athletics Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 21, 2022
267- 4 … World Athletics Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 21, 2022
267- 2 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 22, 2021
266- 5 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 21, 2022
265-10 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 17, 2021
265-10 … Florida State Relays, Mike Long Track, Tallahassee, Fla., March 25, 2016
265- 7 … Victoria Track Classic, Centennial Stadiumn, Victoria, British Columbia, June 15, 2022
264- 8 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 21, 2022
264- 1 … USATF Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., June 26, 2022
263-10 … 94th annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, Mike A. Myers Stadium, Austin, Texas, March 25, 2022
260-11 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 30, 2016
260- 1 … NACAC Under-23, San Salvador, Estadio Jorge “Mágico” González, June 17, 2016

Curtis Thompson begins his quest for his first international medal on Thursday, and he goes into the World Championships with a unique place in javelin history.

Thompson threw 287-9 at the American JavFest on July 9 in East Stroudsburg, which is not only makes him the 3rd-best thrower in U.S. history but also the youngest athlete in U.S. history to ever throw that far.

Thompson’s 287-9 is the 5th-farthest throw in U.S. history, and the farthest by more than two feet by anybody before their 30th birthday.

And Thompson still has 3 ½ years before his 30th birthday.

So he is without question the top young javelin thrower in American history.

Thompson is ranked No. 7 in the world with his 287-9 going into his first international competition, the 2022 World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., where Thompson won the 2016 NCAA title and last year’s Olympic Trials.

The javelin is such a technical event that most world-class throwers don’t reach their peak until their early 30s. So the sky is the limit for Thompson’s future.

Here’s a look at the top 10 single throws in American history, along with the thrower’s age on the day of the meet:
299-6 … Breaux Greer, Indianapolis, 2007 [30 years, 252 days]
297-7 …….. Greer, Carson Calif., 2007 [30 years, 231 days]
292-6 … Tom Petranoff, Potchefstroom, Russia, 1991 [32 years, 335 days]
291-1 …….. Greer, Oslo, Norway, 2007 [30 years, 246 days]
287-9 … Curtis Thompson, East Stroudsburg, 2022 [26 years, 151 days]
287-8 …….. Greer, Monaco, 2004 [27 years, 335 days]
287-6 …….. Greer, Walnut, Calif., 2005 [28 years, 180 days]
286-8 …….. Greer, Bergen, Norway, 2004 [27 years, 235 days]
286-3 …….. Greer, Athens, Greece, 2004 [27 years, 308 days]
285-9 … Tom Pukstys, Jena, Germany, 1997 [28 years, 362 days]

The best previous throw by an American 26 or younger was Greer’s 285-5 in Edmonton in August 2001, about two months after he turned 25.

Internationally, Thompson ranks 7th in the world and 4th among athletes 26 or younger. The top thrower in the world is Thompson’s former Mississippi State teammate, 24-year-old Anderson Peters of Grenada, who threw 305-4 – No. 5 in world history – at the Wanda Diamond League meet at Suhaim bin Hamed Stadium in Doha, Qatar, in May.

Peters, Thompson and Tyriq Horsford of Trinidad and Tobago swept the javelin at the 2016 NCAA Championships, the first NCAA javelin sweep since Oregon in 1964.

The qualifying rounds of the javelin are scheduled for 8:05 p.m. Thursday. The top 12 qualifiers advance to the finals slated for 9:35 p.m. Saturday.

Here’s a look at all of Thompson’s lifetime 260-foot throws:
287-9 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
273-4 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
271-11… Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 4, 2016
271-7 … Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, June 21, 2021
269-7 …American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
268-1 … Oregon Relays, Hayward Field, Eugene, April 23, 2022
267-2 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 22, 2021
266-5 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 21, 2022
265-10 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 17, 2021
265-10 … Florida State Relays, Mike Long Track, Tallahassee, Fla., March 25, 2016
265-7 … Victoria Track Classic, Centennial Stadiumn, Victoria, British Columbia, June 15, 2022
264-8 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 21, 2022
264-1 … USATF Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., June 26, 2022
263-10 … 94th annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, Mike A. Myers Stadium, Austin, Texas, March 25, 2022
260-11 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 30, 2016
260-1 … NACAC Under-23, San Salvador, Estadio Jorge “Mágico” González, June 17, 2016

And here’s a look at the top-10 throws ever on U.S. soil:
91.29 … Breaux Greer [USA], Indianapolis, June 21, 2007
90.71 …….. Greer, Carson, Calif., May 20, 2007
89.88 … Thomas Röhler [GER], Eugene, Ore., May 25, 2018
89.34 … Johannes Vetter [GER], Eugene, Ore., May 25, 2018
89.10 … Patrik Bodén [SWE], Austin, Texas, March 24, 1990
88.16 … Jan Železný [CZE], Atlanta, Aug. 3, 1996
88.01 … Ioannis Kyriazis [GRE], Austin, Texas, March 31, 2017
87.70 … Curtis Thompson [USA], East Stroudsburg, Pa., July 9, 2022
87.65 …….. Greer, Walnut, Calif., April 17, 2005

And the top 10 throws ever at Hayward Field:
89.88 … Thomas Röhler [GER], Hayward Classic, May 25, 2018
89.34 … Johannes Vetter [GER], Hayward Classic, May 25, 2018
84.68 … Julius Yego [KEN], Hayward Classic, May 28, 2016
84.65 … Vadims Vasiļevskis [LAT], Hayward Classic, June 2, 2012
83.87 … Chris Hill [USA], USA Championships, June 25, 2009
83.78 … Vítězslav Veselý [CZE], Hayward Classic, June 2, 2012
83.75 …….. Veselý, Prefontaine Classic, May 31, 2014
83.08 … Sean Furey [USA], USA Championships, June 25, 2015
83.06 … Tom Pukstys [USA], USA Championships, June 19, 1993
82.72 … Anderson Peters [GRN], Oregon Relays, April 24, 2021
82.58 … Ioannis Kyriazis [GRE], NCAA Championships, June 7, 2017

Delsea’s Josh Awotunde put together a historic performance Saturday, placing 3rd in the shot put at the World Athletics Championships with the No. 18 shot put throw in world history.

Awotunde, competing in his first international championship meet, recorded the three-best throws of his life, including an absolute monster 73-1 ½ on his fifth attempt.

Awotunde finished behind world record holder Ryan Crouser and world all-time No. 4 Joe Kovacs in the first shot put sweep by any country at the World Championships.

He’s only the 11th American to ever reach the medal stand at the World Championships.

The former South Carolina All-America opened with a PR 72-11 ½, nearly a foot beyond his previous lifetime best of 72-0 from last fall.

He followed that with a 71-2 ¼ and a 69-4 ¼ to advance to the eight-man final. He fouled on his first attempt of the final before hitting the 73-1 ½ and then finishing with another monster bomb – 72-10 ¾.

Awotunde averaged 71-10 ¾ on his five legal throws. The 73-1 ½ makes him the No. 5 thrower in the history of the World Championships.

World record holder Ryan Crouser won with a 74-6 and all-time world No. 4 Joe Kovacs was 2nd with a 74-2 ¾.

Awotunde got a scare when New Zealand’s Tom Walsh – who is No. 6 in world history and has thrown 75 feet – got his fifth throw beyond the 22-meter mark, but his throw was measured at 22.08, or 72-5 ¼, which only moved him from 5th up to 4th place.

Then Awotunde put things out of reach with his last two throws.

Awotunde moved up from 15th to 11th in U.S. history and from No. 30 to No. 18 in world history.

He set his previous PR of 72-0 at the Meeting Città di Padova at Stadio Colbachini in Padovad, Poland, on Sept. 5, 2021.

The only people in meet history who’ve thrown farther than Awotunde are Kovacs, Crouser, Walsh and Brazil’s Darlan Romani.

Here’s a look at the top throws in meet history:

75-3 … Ryan Crouser [USA], 2022 [1st]
75-1 ¾ … Joe Kovacs [USA], 2019 [1st]
75-1 ½ … Tom Walsh [NZL], 2019 [3rd]
73-11 … Darlan Romani [BRA], 2019 [4th]
73-1 ½ … Josh Awotunde [USA], 2022 [3rd]
72-11 … Werner Günthör, 1987 [1st]