Eight of nation's best to throw in Missoula
4/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field, Outdoor Track, Women's Track and Field
Eight of the nation???s top throwers will be in Missoula Saturday, May 2, for the Montana Javelin Invitational. The event will take place at Dornblaser Field, starting shortly after the conclusion of the Griz-Cat Dual. The dual meet is expected to conclude around 5 p.m. Both events are free to the public.
Six of the eight athletes scheduled to compete at the meet threw at last year???s U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., and five finished the 2008 season ranked among the top 16 in the nation.
Highlighting the event will be Sean Furey, Bobby Smith and Barry Krammes.
Furey finished 2008 ranked fifth nationally with a season-best throw of 263-11 at a July meet in Joensuu, Finland. Furey, who was an all-American at Dartmouth, is currently living and working in Mission Viejo, Calif., where he is training under 1996 Olympian Todd Riech.
Smith was the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials champion, while Krammes ranked eighth nationally in 2008 with a season-best throw of 259-1.
Krammes placed sixth at the Olympic Trials, Furey seventh.
Also competing will be event organizer and Montana javelin coach Doug Lefler, whose season-best throw of 247-9 last June in Walnut, Calif., ranked 12th nationally.
???Everyone competing is a high-level athlete, and everyone has the goal of going to the Olympics,??? Lefler said. ???It???s the only time people will get to see this type of event in Missoula.
???We set this up to get more people interested in the Big Sky Conference track and field championships (which will be held at Dornblaser Field) two weeks later and to generate more interest in track and field in general.???
At the conclusion of the Griz-Cat Dual, fans will be allowed on the infield to line the javelin throwing sector.
Also competing will be Shae Murray (ranked No. 16 nationally at the end of 2008), Dan Gale (No. 29), Ryan Weidman (No. 30) and Justin St. Clair (No. 34).
Lefler, Weidman and Murray all joined Furey, Smith and Krammes at last July???s Olympic Trials.
