Local throwers quietly earning spotlight
Houston-area athletes are among best in nation in shot put and discus
Admit it. When it comes to track and field, many spectators — not all, but definitely more than a handful — are paying more attention to the first part of the sport’s title than the latter. An entire side of a stadium will rise to its feet. Fans are cheering for their favorite sprinter. Some don’t want to miss the finish. And others stand because everybody else does.
There’s good reason for that. Fort Bend Marshall and its contingent of sprinters are gunning for a third straight Class 5A state championship. In Marshall’s way may be Manvel, which less than two weeks ago ran the nation’s fastest time in the 800-meter relay (1:25.58).
Lamar’s Julia Heymach owns the distance races, while Milan Young has the state’s top times in the 100and 300-meter hurdles.
Now think about the field events. Outside of the choreographed clapping for the jumps and pole vaulters, there’s not much fanfare.
But with the high school season well underway, there’s a chance in 2017 to see something special away from the running lanes. It may just take some walking away from the bleachers to find that shot put or discus ring. Top-shelf talent
Houston’s throwing community has been racking up state medals for the last few years. Leading the way are two of the best.
Not just in the city or the state — anywhere.
Adrian “Tripp” Piperi of The Woodlands owns the nation’s top distance in the shot put (74 feet, 11½ inches). Hightower’s Gabe Oladipo holds the nation’s No. 2 spot in the discus (215-2), setting the state record in doing so.
Both qualified for the 2015 IAAF World Youth Championships in Columbia. Piperi won gold in shot put.
Rounding out the talented group are Otito Ogbonnia (Katy Taylor), John Barber (Travis), Cooper Campbell (Seven Lakes) and Blake Kuithe (Cinco Ranch). All are among the top 15 nationally in the shot put this season and top 35 in discus.
All have topped 60 feet in shot put, good enough for third at state in 2016 and second the year before.
Piperi, Oladipo and Kuithe swept the Class 6A shot put two years ago. They went first, third and fourth last year, with Piperi repeating (the runner-up was Atascocita’s Steven Daboub). Piperi won discus as well in 2015, while Oladipo took silver last year. Competition driven
“In track, if you go and here’s Tripp, here’s Blake (and) here’s Gabe, and we’re competing in Texas, you know you’re guaranteed to see a show, some big throws and some good competition,” Oladipo said.
That should be the case this weekend for the first time during the UIL’s season. All six are listed among the entries for the Texas Relays in both events.
Oladipo, who signed with Texas A&M, and Piperi, a Texas signee, are both 9-for-10 when it comes to first-place finishes this year. Barber beat Piperi in the discus March 4 at the Bubba Fife Relays. Campbell beat Oladipo in the shot put two weeks later at the TSU Relays.
As far as fans or getting teammates to watch, that’s still a challenge.
“If you’re not a good thrower, then people don’t respect you because they think throws are easy,” Oladipo said. “And if you are a good thrower, they just kind of take it for granted in a sense that they may say, ‘Yeah, you’re good. Why do we have to come see you?’ ”
But the friendly rivalries have pushed each other.
“It never lets you relax or get complacent,” Oladipo said. “You always know that, even if you’re on top now, there’s a possibility that someone else could be on top next week. You never want to stop, and you never want to relinquish that position.”