News27 Feb 2005


Godina back on top with 21.83m – USA Indoor Championships, DAY TWO

FacebookTwitterEmail

John Godina wins US indoor title with 21.83m in Boston (© Kirby Lee)

Boston, USADon’t write off 32 yearold John Godina in the Shot Put just yet. The former three-time World outdoor champion and 2001 World Indoor gold medallist saved his best effort of this indoor campaign for the second day of USA Track & Field Championships at Roxbury Community College’s Reggie Lewis Center on Saturday (26 Feb.).

Three put over 21.50m!

Godina, a two-time Olympic medallist threw a world season’s lead of 21.83m in a competition in which the top three throwers surpassed 21.50! Reese Hoffa was second in a lifetime-best of 21.74, the number two mark in the world this winter, and previous 2005 world leader Adam Nelson was third with 21.59m. The quality of the competition was so deep that Christian Cantwell, the 2004 World indoor champion, had to settle for fourth at 20.57.

“I think the great thing about it is that the Shot Put is the premier event now,” said Godina. “ You’ve got the men’s and women’s 100 and the Shot Put. That’s the order of importance right now (in the USA).”
 
Godina takes lead in hunt for 25,000USD
 
Godina’s meet-record performance came at an opportune time on the USATF indoor circuit and put him (pun not intended) in the lead for the Visa Championship Series and a $25,000 USD prize. The title is awarded to the top male and female performance based on IAAF scoring tables in the four-meet series that includes the Reebok Boston Indoor Games (30 Jan.), Millrose Games (4 Feb.), Tyson Invitational (11 Feb.) and the USATF championships.

Godina’s performance was worth 1230 points and netted him his first national indoor title since winning consecutive titles in 1996 and 1997. In the process Godina overtook Nelson (1218) and Hoffa (1218) in the points standings. It was Godina’s first victory during the indoor season after losing to Nelson at the Boston Indoor Games and Hoffa at the Millrose Games.

“I am very determined to stick to a plan so that I can throw far at the end even if it costs me in the early meets,” confirmed Godina. “I think that after my first indoor meets that although my throws were 66 or 67 feet, my morale was sky high. I was just waiting for the body to be fresh after I got off of the weights. I knew that it would happen.”
 
Godina has prospered from coaching change
 
Godina is in his first season training under Arizona State throws coach David Dumble in Tempe, Ariz. after spending 14 years with Art Venegas in Los Angeles. Godina trained with Venegas starting as a collegian at UCLA in 1990 where he was a five-time NCAA champion. The partnership produced World championship titles in 1995, 1997 and 2001 and an Olympic silver (1996) and bronze (2000).

Godina, a Wyoming native, made the move to Tempe, a desert town located 400 miles southeast of Los Angeles, to train with Dumble, a former UCLA teammate and roommate, for a change of scenery after his marriage last year to longtime acquaintance Kendra Jordan. “I was so unhappy in Los Angeles and it’s great to get into a good environment that is so good for training. David Dumble has been very, very helpful in smoothing my transition. It was a scary thing but at this point, I think that I made the right decision.”
 
Dominant from round one – brilliant series
 
Godina was a factor from the start on Saturday. He unleashed his winning effort of 21.83 on his first attempt. Godina followed it with throws of 21.33m, 21.31m, 20.73m, 21.47m, and 21.12m. “I am not going to lie but I thought it was a good throw for indoors. I thought it was 73 or 74 (feet). I was in good shape but I just didn’t take advantage of it. If I caught the right throw and hit it as hard as I could, I might have gotten it.”

And elsewhere in Boston…
 
Toomey and Culpepper defend distance titles
 
Jennifer Toomey and Shayne Culpepper respectively defended their titles in the women’s 1500m and 3000m, and Jonathon Riley won the men’s 3000m for the third year in a row.

Toomey, who recorded an unprecedented 800 and 1,500m double in 2004, won the 1500m in 4:13.25. Toomey, a resident of nearby Salem, Mass, and who trains at the Reggie Lewis Center, has been injured since August and only made her 2005 debut last Saturday.

Culpepper, the wife of 2004 U.S. Olympic marathoner Alan Culpepper, powered away from Amy Rudloph and Lauren Fleshman to win in 8:55.57, while in the men’s race Riley, another local product from Brookline, Mass. edged Bolota Asmeron at the tape, 7:53.73 to 7:53.81.
 
Harris defeats Nieto
 
Tora Harris, competing in his third meet within seven days, cleared 2.27m to defeat defending champion Jamie Nieto and Adam Shunk, both who cleared a best of 2.24m. Harris has competed in meets in Estonia and the Czech Republic over the last week before flying back to the U.S. on Thursday (24 Feb.).

“It’s been an adventure but you learn a lot,” Harris said. “I think all the travel hurt me today but you have to get on the road and try to learn as much as you can.’’
 
Many other first-time winners
 
Generally first-time winners dominated the second day of the three-day meeting.

Scott McGowan, whose claim to fame was being the first person from Montana, to break 4:00 in the Mile, won the men’s 1500m in 3:44.06. Jennifer Stuczynski, a basketball player who took up pole vaulting eight months ago, won the women’s Pole Vault at 4.35m.

In the Long Jump, Brian Johnson sailed 7.89m in the men’s competition and Rose Richmond won the women’s competition at 6.44m. Jill Camerena won the women’s Shot Put with an effort of 17.31m for her inaugural national championship.

Gwen Wentland returned to the victory podium for the first time since 1995 in the women’s High Jump with a 1.88m clearance. Wentland, 32, is returning to competition after taking the 2004 season off to give birth to her nine-month old daughter Paris.

Timothy Seaman won the men’s 5000m race walk in 19:56.41.
 
Kirby Lee for the IAAF


Click here for FULL RESULTS

 

Pages related to this article
Disciplines
Loading...