Former Mead, soon-to-be Oregon discus thrower Simon Rosselli aiming for world title
Look out world, here comes Simon Rosselli.
Rosselli will seek a world championship this weekend at the World Athletics Congress U20 meet in Eugene.
The incoming University of Oregon freshman will rub elbows with the best discus throwers his age internationally.
The qualifying round is Saturday. Each athlete gets three throws with the top 12 advancing to the finals on Sunday. On Sunday, the athletes get three more throws with the top eight advancing for three more attempts in the quest to crown a world champion.
It’ll be the first time Rosselli’s personal coach – IronWood director TJ Crater – will be on hand to watch his prize pupil throw.
“That’s kind of been the joke,” Crater said in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon. “We’re both really excited about it. It’s definitely a lot more ideal than his mother texting me videos of his throws after the fact (at meets).”
Rosselli, who graduated from Mead after a state-title filled prep career, arrived in Eugene on Sunday so he could get the full effect of being at a top-level international competition. He’s been staying with the other Team USA athletes.
Crater made the journey to Eugene on Tuesday, and coach and athlete had their last challenging practice that afternoon.
Rosselli earned a berth to Worlds by winning the USATF U20 title in June at Eugene. The discus for international competition weighs 1.75 kilograms, 1.5 more than a high school implement. It was the first time – and only time in competition – that Rosselli has thrown the international discus. He won with a throw of 205 feet, 7 inches.
Interestingly, with just one international competition, Rosselli heads to Worlds seeded fifth. He’ll be chasing Joseph Richard Salmon of Jamaica, who is favored, along with Sten-Erik Iir of Estonia, Jakub Rodziak of Poland and Yaroslav Lystopad of Ukraine.
Salmon broke the U20 record, 67.55 meters (about 221-7 when converted to feet), in March. No other athlete is within four meters of him going into the weekend.
Rosselli would be pleased to make the awards podium. But he’s shooting for the title, Crater said.
“He’s thrown it once in competition while the other guys have been throwing it since last winter or longer,” Crater said. “We’re thinking something in the 67 meters range has a chance to win.”
And Rosselli has been in that range in the six weeks of preparation.
“He’s been training on an average that would put him there in the conversation to win it,” Crater said. “It’s just being able to execute on the day and throw with a little extra adrenaline. If we fall short of a win, so be it. But we’re shooting for the win. And I think if he lines up the throw that he knows he can do, he’s gonna be tough to beat.”
Crater admires Rosselli’s dedication to training the past six weeks.
“I’ve been really impressed with his focus and the consistency he’s had,” Crater said. “His training has been trending upwards and he’s starting to get a really good feel and been focused on what he needs to be doing. If he does what he’s been doing he’ll put himself in contention to be on top of that podium. I think it’s going to be a really tight competition.”
This weekend marks the beginning of the next phase of Rosselli’s career. It’s something that’s not lost on him or Crater.
“I’ve been telling him that getting this experience at his age, if he wants to go on and do what he wants to do, this is going to be great career development,” Crater said. “I’m excited to see what he can use this for.”
Rosselli will switch from the international element to the collegiate-weighted platter when school starts in late September. The college discus weighs 2kg.
He’ll head back to Eugene later this month to set up his living arrangements. He’s rooming with two Oregon cross country runners.