Olympics are within reach for Knoch grad Geist
Jordan Geist doesn’t take a lot of time off.
The shot put thrower from Knoch High School won gold at the NACAC U23 Championships July 6 in Mexico. Less than a week later, he was in Idaho for a throwing camp.
For most, that probably seems crazy. After such an achievement, why not take some time off? For Geist, this is better than time off.
“I love being out at this camp, because, for this entire week, it’s just thinking about track and field and nothing but track and field,” Geist said. “So for me, this is like a vacation with practices mixed in.”
With a closer look, you can understand why that’s the case.
During the school year, Geist, a rising sophomore at Arizona, competes and trains pretty much the entire time. The first semester brings the indoor season, and when that wraps up, the outdoor season begins almost immediately.
And after that, it’s straight into the summer, where Geist continues to travel and compete at the highest level.
Geist reckons the longest break he has had was a long weekend after the NCAA outdoor championships. Other than that, it’s all go all the time.
“As long as my body’s going and mentally I’m not burned out, I think I’m OK not having to break,” Geist said.
Whatever method Geist chooses, no matter how arduous, it is impossible to argue with — his results speak for themselves.
He won the aforementioned NACAC U23 World Championship. He finished third and fifth in the NCAA outdoor and indoor championships, respectively. In January, Geist threw the farthest mark of anyone in the NCAA this year.
With how good he knows he can be, Geist actually looks back on his finishes at the NCAA meets with a little disappointment.
“In the NCAA, I had the farthest mark out there by almost a foot,” Geist said. “And then I show up at NCAAs and have my worst meet of the year and still only lose by about a foot and a half.”
There are likely brighter days ahead for Geist, if all goes according to plan. The Olympic qualifying window is now open until June 2020. Geist already threw the required distance to qualify for the Olympic Trials, but he still has to throw 21.1 meters — or just over 69 feet — within the window to qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Like anyone in Geist’s position, he said Tokyo would be “a dream come true.”
That goal is attainable, and Geist knows it. For now, there are some improvements to be made to achieve the consistency that could catapult him to the top.
It isn’t so much physical as it is mental.
“Obviously it’s something I’m still trying to learn, but the idea that I have right now is me going into a meet thinking what I need to win,” Geist said. “But [ realistically], I just need to throw a decent throw. So I just need to be able to relax and execute the throw. I don’t have to throw a personal best at every national meet to win.”
As for a specific next step, the USA Nationals are fast approaching, where Geist will have his next chance to hit the 21.1- meter mark.
And then, who knows? Geist mentioned a potential professional career as a thrower. Whether that comes to fruition likely depends on if he can nail down the mental side of things.
He has plenty of time, too. It’s easy to forget that Geist is only a year and a half removed from high school.
One thing is for certain: No matter what Geist ends up accomplishing, he probably won’t be taking many breaks. He wouldn’t have it any other way.