Bliss Earns Sixth Place at the Olympic Trials in the Javelin
6/30/2024 10:05:00 PM | Women's Track and Field
EUGENE, Ore.- Evelyn Bliss finished sixth in the Olympic Trials finals in the javelin throw on Sunday at Hayward Field. The Bison thrower's best mark of 183-2 set a personal best and unlocked the highest finish for a Bucknellian in the javelin at the Olympic Trials.
"What a special day for Evie," said Bucknell head coach Kevin Donner. "Today, she was the sixth-best javelin thrower in the United States, despite being the youngest in the field. She represented Bucknell proudly and had a clutch throw in the third round to get her in the finals and just about matched in round four. She gained tremendous national experience this week competing and observing the Olympic Trials. She is set up great for the World Athletics U20 Championships in Peru at the end of August. Congrats to Coach Protzman who had her ready for this type of atmosphere."
Results
12 throwers entered the trial finals with the top eight qualifying for the final round. Bliss was one of the several young guns competing against seasoned veterans including Kara Winger, a four-time Olympic veteran. Hayward Field was sold out and the crowd's energy added a festive air to the proceedings.
"I'm speechless," said Bliss. "I had such an amazing competition and to be up there competing with the best of them such as Winger, Maggie Malone Hardin, and Madison Wiltrout was more than I could ask for. The goals coach and I set for this meet I met and more. I will be back in 2028 and I couldn't be happier."
She started strong for the second straight trial, setting the tone for the event by throwing 173-11 on her first attempt, temporarily slotting herself in fourth place. The Bucknell freshman tossed the instrument 171-5 feet on her second throw, and other throwers passed her up.
She entered the final attempt of the opening round sitting at ninth, needing a substantial increase to reach the top eight. Bliss proved clutch and cool, uncorking her record throw of 183-2 feet to capture sixth and qualify for the final round. The result improves upon her second-best mark in Bucknell history.
"Plenty of thoughts that are hard to put into words after something that special," said throws coach Ryan Protzman. "Evie Bliss is here. She's a national level talent and I couldn't be more proud of how she composed herself against the best in the USA. I knew when the first throw went as far as it did with how it flew, we could be in for something special. Then to get dropped to ninth (first one out) heading into her final throw made things interesting. She stepped up and executed so well when all of the pressure was on. Two throws over 55 meters. Sixth in the USA. Unbelievable."
Bucknell's previous best result in the Olympic Trials was fellow javelin thrower and Bucknell record holder Maura Fiamoncini who finished seventh in 2021.
Maggie Malone Hardin won the event and set a meet record with her throw of 211-10, passing the Olympic standard of 210-0. Winger finished second via a toss of 206-6 and Madison Wiltrout grabbed third on her attempt of 200-8.
Bliss's summer is not complete as her next competition is the World Athletics U20 Championships in Peru on August 24-27.
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"What a special day for Evie," said Bucknell head coach Kevin Donner. "Today, she was the sixth-best javelin thrower in the United States, despite being the youngest in the field. She represented Bucknell proudly and had a clutch throw in the third round to get her in the finals and just about matched in round four. She gained tremendous national experience this week competing and observing the Olympic Trials. She is set up great for the World Athletics U20 Championships in Peru at the end of August. Congrats to Coach Protzman who had her ready for this type of atmosphere."
Results
12 throwers entered the trial finals with the top eight qualifying for the final round. Bliss was one of the several young guns competing against seasoned veterans including Kara Winger, a four-time Olympic veteran. Hayward Field was sold out and the crowd's energy added a festive air to the proceedings.
"I'm speechless," said Bliss. "I had such an amazing competition and to be up there competing with the best of them such as Winger, Maggie Malone Hardin, and Madison Wiltrout was more than I could ask for. The goals coach and I set for this meet I met and more. I will be back in 2028 and I couldn't be happier."
She started strong for the second straight trial, setting the tone for the event by throwing 173-11 on her first attempt, temporarily slotting herself in fourth place. The Bucknell freshman tossed the instrument 171-5 feet on her second throw, and other throwers passed her up.
She entered the final attempt of the opening round sitting at ninth, needing a substantial increase to reach the top eight. Bliss proved clutch and cool, uncorking her record throw of 183-2 feet to capture sixth and qualify for the final round. The result improves upon her second-best mark in Bucknell history.
Bliss threw 181-2 in her first attempt in the final round. It was a solid throw and would have set a personal record for Bliss. Her second chance looked good on launch but flew out of bounds. Her final throw stayed in bounds but did not equal her previous marks.Bliss's sixth-place throw at the Olympic Trials!
— Bucknell Track & XC (@Bucknell_TFXC) July 1, 2024
Look at that trajectory and celebration!
BUCKNELL BISON REPRESENT!#rayBucknell | #FeelingBlissful pic.twitter.com/oQ2sfD27YX
"Plenty of thoughts that are hard to put into words after something that special," said throws coach Ryan Protzman. "Evie Bliss is here. She's a national level talent and I couldn't be more proud of how she composed herself against the best in the USA. I knew when the first throw went as far as it did with how it flew, we could be in for something special. Then to get dropped to ninth (first one out) heading into her final throw made things interesting. She stepped up and executed so well when all of the pressure was on. Two throws over 55 meters. Sixth in the USA. Unbelievable."
Bucknell's previous best result in the Olympic Trials was fellow javelin thrower and Bucknell record holder Maura Fiamoncini who finished seventh in 2021.
Maggie Malone Hardin won the event and set a meet record with her throw of 211-10, passing the Olympic standard of 210-0. Winger finished second via a toss of 206-6 and Madison Wiltrout grabbed third on her attempt of 200-8.
Bliss's summer is not complete as her next competition is the World Athletics U20 Championships in Peru on August 24-27.
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Players Mentioned
Throws
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