WHY IS IT THAT THE BEST men’s javelin throwers seem to be the most prone to injury? UCLA coach Sean Denard has a theory. “They are,” he says, “so powerful that their system can’t handle it. Having so much horsepower in the engine causes the body to blow up.”
Keyshawn Strachan might be the perfect example. Currently representing Nebraska, Strachan burst onto the scene as an Auburn frosh in ’23 with a 276-5 (84.27) toss in his first collegiate meet. That was an astonishing display of power and potential, but 3 weeks later he was shut down with a UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) sprain in his throwing arm. He came back to finish 5th in both the ’24 and ’25 NCAA meets, but last November endured double hernia surgery caused, according to his doctor, by putting so much power into the ground through his block leg while releasing the jav.
Texas A&M’s Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi, commonly known as “Zaza,” can relate. While competing for Baylor in ’24, he launched a PR 272-7 (82.80) that helped him get to the Olympics, but was able to compete only once in ’25 due to knee, ankle and finger injuries all sustained while throwing.
Determined rehab put both on the comeback trail in ’26, with Strachan posting his best throw — 268-6 (81.86) — since that ’23 bomb, and Zaza knocking him from fourth to fifth on the collegiate all-time list with a 277-10 (84.68) PR in April.
Both had fun hitting the gas in Eugene on Wednesday, going wire-to-wire in 1st and 2nd, Zaza’s 269-10 (82.26) opener holding up for the win. Strachan also produced his best effort — 264-7 (80.65) in round 1. After that it was pretty much a drama-free night aside from LSU’s Jack Larriviere jumping from 6th to 3rd on his final attempt. Larriviere, by the way, rarely competed between ’23 and ’25 due to back and elbow injuries.
Nnamdi said of his final collegiate season including this win and the PR in April, “To me, it was a sign that I can be something great. I’ve always known I could be something great, but this year really showed it to me that there’s more I can do. I am a little bit disappointed that I wasn’t able to show off what I got today, but I promise you guys I’m going to make a lot of statements.”
After the comp, Strachan could have been speaking for all three of the top finishers when he reflected on his career and having to fight to regain his confidence. “This result really helps,” he said. “I’ve been through a lot mentally and physically, but I’m close to getting back to where I was.”
Now, if only their extended warranty holds up.
MEN’S JAVELIN RESULTS
(June 10)
1. Chinecherem Nnamdi’ (TxAM-Ngr) 269-10 (82.26)
(269-10, 266-4, f, 248-3, 258-6, 253-7) (82.26, 81.19, f, 75.68, 78.79, 77.30);
2. *Keyshawn Strachan’ (Nb-Bah) 264-7 (80.65)
(264-7, f, f, f, 244-7, f) (80.65, f, f, f, 74.56, f);
3. Jack Larriviere (LSU) 255-7 (77.91)
(237-8, 233-7, 249-4, 232-11, 249-1, 255-7) (72.44, 71.21, 76.00, 71.01, 75.93, 77.91);
4. Jordan Davis (Ga) 255-4 (77.83)
(254-9, 244-5, 254-11, f, 255-4, f) (77.64, 74.50, 77.70, f, 77.83, f);
5. **Nick Reynolds (Ga) 254-0 (77.43)
(254-0, 244-4, 235-10, 243-0, f, f) (77.43, 74.49, 71.89, 74.06, f, f);
6. *Leikel Cabrera Gay’ (Fl-Cub) 249-7 (76.07)
(226-4, 224-6, 247-9, 249-7, 242-1, 247-0) (68.98, 68.43, 75.51, 76.07, 73.80, 75.30);
7. Pat Vialva (Or) 246-2 (75.04)
(245-3, 237-5, 237-0, 226-9, 236-6, 246-2) (74.76, 72.36, 72.25, 69.12, 72.10, 75.04);
8. ***Daniel Thrana’ (Or-Nor) 245-9 (74.90)
(237-7, 240-4, f, 245-9, 234-9, 239-5) (72.42, 73.26, f, 74.90, 71.56, 72.99);
9. Ben Shughart (Lib) 242-6 (73.92); 10. ***Tom Tersek’ (USC-Slo) 240-3 (73.24); 11. *Reuben Booysen’ (SAl-SA) 239-10 (73.10) PR; 12. Sam Hankins (TxAM) 238-1 (72.58); 13. Augustus Henry (Nb) 236-11 (72.22); 14. Blake Sturgis (Id) 231-7 (70.59); 15. *Riley Marx (KsSt) 231-1 (70.43); 16. *Walker Deede (UtSt) 228-4 (69.60); 17. **Brandon Falconer (MSM) 227-5 (69.33) PR; 18. **Tuomas Narhi’ (MsSt-Fin) 223-11 (68.25); 19. ***Kaden Cartwright (MsSt) 223-2 (68.02); 20. **Jack Greaves’ (Rice-Aus) 223-2 (68.02); 21. *Evan Niedrowski (Monm) 222-3 (67.75); 22. Ty Hampton (Rice) 217-7 (66.33); 23. Owen Faulha (BU) 213-11 (65.20); 24. **Jemar Ferguson (Louisiana) 201-9 (61.51).
