LATE DRAMA was the story of the men’s javelin. Virginia’s Ethan Dabbs — 2nd at the NCAA on this runway 2 weeks ago — pulled out a final-round winner with a throw of 266-8 (81.29), snatching victory away from Curtis Thompson, who had tossed 264-1 (80.49) a round earlier. NCAA champ Marc Minichello (Penn) placed 3rd in 259-4 (79.05), that coming on his second attempt.
Said Dabbs, who was standing only 5th when he came up for his final throw, “I had elbow surgery back in July, so I had a nice little bump in the road, but this year’s been like a culmination of just a bunch of adversity. It feels good to come out on top. I got second at NCAAs, which is not what I wanted, but throwing far when it matters is a process and I’m very happy to say that I pulled one out today.”
Thompson, the NCAA champ for Mississippi State back in 2016, said, “It was a hot one, but I was able to put one together for 2nd place. The game plan was to come in here and execute what I’ve done in practice.”
Said Minichello, who will finish his college eligibility at Georgia, “NCAAs was the big goal for the year, and two weeks later give it my best shot again. This is definitely some icing on the cake. The victory lap was one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had, experiencing some of the magic of TrackTown. It’s really cool seeing all the fans and feeling special. That’s something I’ve not really had before. The season’s gotta be a super success. To throw two out of my three best meets here, I don’t think I could have scripted it much better.”
The national-team picture remains unclear. The WC standard is 278-10 (85.00), and the only thrower in the field who brought that to town was Michael Shuey, who has a 281-1 (85.67) from last year. He finished 7th with 242-8 (73.96).
The final World Athletics rankings on June 29 could offer pathways back to Eugene. As of this writing, Thompson is No. 25. Dabbs’ throw here could pull him into the required top 32.
MEN’S JAVELIN RESULTS
(June 26)
1. Ethan Dabbs (Va) 266-8 (81.29)
(239-5, f, f, f, 250-0, 266-8) (72.99, f, f, f, 76.20, 81.29);
2. Curtis Thompson (Tracksm) 264-1 (80.49)
(258-10, f, f, 251-2, 264-1, f) (78.91, f, f, 76.57, 80.49, f);
3. Marc Minichello (Penn) 259-4 (79.05)
(240-10, 259-4, 245-11, 238-4, 229-2, 243-0) (73.40, 79.05, 74.97, 72.65, 69.85, 74.07);
4. Capers Williamson (unat) 253-2 (77.16)
(249-3, 247-7, f, 239-11, 253-2, 252-0) (75.99, 75.47, f, 73.12, 77.16, 76.81);
5. Tim Glover (Vel) 250-6 (76.37)
(233-0, 250-6, f, f, 238-5, 242-10) (71.02, 76.37, f, f, 72.68, 74.02);
6. Tzuriel Pedigo (LSU) 244-3 (74.46)
(221-3, 229-1, 244-3, 235-0, 235-1, 233-3) (67.44, 69.83, 74.46, 71.64, 71.65, 71.10);
7. Michael Shuey (Vel/NYAC) 242-8 (73.96)
(229-1, 235-6, 242-8, f, f, f) (69.84, 71.79, 73.96, f, f, f);
8. Zach Holland (UmpqCC) 239-9 (73.09)
(215-8, f, 239-9, f, 237-8, 234-4) (65.74, f, 73.09, f, 72.45, 71.43);
9. Brett Thompson (unat) 236-8 (72.14); 10. Donavon Banks (unat) 234-4 (71.43); 11. Theodore Cook (unat) 229-0 (69.81); 12. Ethan Shalaway (unat) 227-9 (69.43); 13. Ty Hampton (Or) 226-10 (69.14); 14. Justin Carter (unat) 223-11 (68.26); 15. Michael Whittaker (BYU) 213-0 (64.93); 16. Cantor Coverdell (MtSt) 195-9 (59.68).
