American Record: Breaux Greer, 299-6
2007 U.S. Champion: Breaux Greer, 299-6
2004 Olympic Trials Champion: Breaux Greer, 270-4
Top 5 Seed Times
1.) Breaux Greer, 299-6
2.) Leigh Smith, 274-9
3.) Mike Hazle, 269-8
4.) Christopher Hill, 268-1
5.) Corey White, 267-10
No one has beaten Breaux Greer in a U.S. outdoor championship since 2000. No one expects anything different this year, either. Greer set the American record to win last year’s U.S. title and took third at worlds. His throw of 299-6 was the farthest in the world last year, the first time an American ended the year on top since 1983. Greer does have an interesting sidenote for 2008, though: He hasn’t thrown. He has been able to film episodes of “American Gladiators,” where he stars as Hurricane, one of the professional gladiators.
Several other athletes do have shots at an Olympic team. Leigh Smith has thrown the best mark in the country this year, doing it at the Georgia Invitational in early May. Smith was awarded a USATF Foundation Elite Athlete grant last year for $3,000 to continue his training. Smith’s highest U.S. ranking was third after the 2006 season. Mike Hazle threw his mark of 269-8 on the same day but in Doha, Qatar. Hazle was runner-up to Greer at last year’s U.S. outdoor championships.
Collegians Chris Hill (Georgia) Corey White (Southern California) and Adam Montague (Florida) all round out the top six throws in the U.S. this year, and the fourth, fifth and sixth seeded throws overall.
Locals should recognize some faces in the field. Ex-Oregon thrower Ryan Brandel and current Lane Community College thrower Cyrus Hostetler, from Newberg, will compete.