Jason Young (discus thrower)

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Jason Young
Personal information
Nationality
Discus Throw
College teamTexas Tech
Achievements and titles
Personal bestDiscus Throw: 69.90m

Jason Young (born May 27, 1981) is an American discus thrower who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics, finishing 19th. At Texas Tech, Young was a two-time All-American in track and field and placed second in the discus at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championship. In 2010 and 2011, he was the runner-up in discus at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He finished 2010 as the number two ranked discus thrower in the world, and has been ranked among the top ten in the United States six times.

Early life

Jason Young was born May 27, 1981.

USATF Junior Olympics with a distance of 56.74 metres (186.2 ft).[1]

Athletic career

After high school, Young attended

Olympic Trials where he placed ninth in the discus.[1]

In 2006, Young finished the year ranked number two in the country at the discus and number six in the world. He took 2007 off, and finished 2008 ranked number two and number 15. He returned to top form in 2010, turning in his personal best throw to date with a distance of 69.90 metres (229.3 ft) and finished the year as the top ranked thrower in the US and number two in the world. As of 2012, Young has now been ranked in the top 10 nationally at the discus six times.[1]

At the

2008 Olympic Trials, Young placed 9th in the discus.[1] In 2010, Young was the runner-up in discus at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a throw of 61.15 metres (200.6 ft). In 2011, he lost his job and "almost quit" competing.[3] He pressed on and finished second in the US Championships, with a distance of 63.81 metres (209.4 ft).[1] He moved on to the 2011 World Championships where he placed 10th with a distance of 63.20 metres (207.3 ft).[1]

At the

2012 Olympic Trials, Young threw the discus 61.50 metres (201.8 ft) in the first round to take an early lead. From there, he steadily improved throwing 61.83 metres (202.9 ft) in the second round, 62.07 metres (203.6 ft) in the fourth and 62.14 metres (203.9 ft) in the sixth and final round.[3] He placed third and made the 2012 United States Olympic Team.[1] As it turned out, his first round throw would have also been good enough for the third and final qualifying spot.[3] "It’s been a really long road to try to get here," he remarked. "More than anything else, I’m relieved that I’m finally on the team."[2]

In the qualifying round of the discus at the 2012 Olympics, Young recorded a distance of 62.18 metres (204.0 ft) on his first throw placing him eighth at the time.[4] His next two attempts were fouls while several other competitors improved their marks. As a result, Young fell to 18th place and did not advance out of the qualifying round.[4] He did, however, finish ahead of the other two American competitors.[4]

Young is self-coached and is sponsored by Nike.[1]

Personal life

After college, Young worked as a strength and conditioning coach for Texas Tech. He currently lives in Lubbock, Texas, where he works as a personal trainer.[3] He is married to former Texas Tech teammate Megan Young, and has a one-year-old son, Omo. In order to raise money to get his family to London for the 2012 Olympics, Young conducted several fundraising events.[5] Being a track and field competitor is "extremely difficult," he explained. "Very few people can make a full-time living at track and field".[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Athlete Bios: Jason Young". USA Track & Field. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d Don Williams (July 9, 2012). "Tech ex peaking in his 30s, preparing for first Olympics". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Texas Tech. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Garner Roberts (June 28, 2012). "Former Red Raider Young earns spot on U.S. Olympic team". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c Zack Kennedy (August 6, 2012). "U.S. Olympian Jason Young Finishes 18th in Qualifying Round of Discus Throw". SportsRadio 1340. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  5. ^ Sarah-Blake Morgan (July 6, 2012). "Hometown Olympian looking for your help". KCBD. Retrieved September 23, 2013.

External links

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