Drake Relays feature elite shot put field
4/15/2004 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
April 15, 2004
DES MOINES, Iowa - (AP) -- This month's Drake Relays will feature a power-packed field of shot putters.
World indoor champion Christian Cantwell and two-time Olympic medalist John Godina headline an early entry list that features Reese Hoffa, the 2003 Pan Am Games champion, Brad Snyder, a member of the Canadian Olympic team, and Jamie Beyer, a former all-American at Iowa State.
''Those five guys are really special throwers,'' Relay Director Mark Kostek said. ''When you look at it, it probably is the finest shot put field ever assembled - certainly for the Drake Relays, but potentially for any relay carnival . . . ever.''
The 95th annual Relays are April 22-24 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.
Cantwell, 23, becomes the third reigning world champion to commit to this year's Relays, joining Canadian women's hurdler Perdita Felicien and men's 100-meter sprinter Kim Collins from the Caribbean island of St. Kitts.
''Cantwell is a home-grown product,'' Kostek said of the former Missouri athlete. ''He grew up not very far from Columbia.''
In 2002, Cantwell was named the outstanding performer of the Relays after winning a special invitation shot put with a throw of 69 feet 11/4 inches. He burst onto the international stage last year after winning titles in Monaco and Spain.
Godina, who grew up in Wyoming, owns four world titles and earned a silver medal at the 1996 Olympics. He earned bronze at the 2000 Games in Sydney. Godina, 31, was a five-time NCAA champ at UCLA before becoming the first American in 72 years to qualify for the Olympics in both the shot put and discus in both 1996 and 2000.
Cantwell and Godina have each thrown better than the Drake Relays record of 69-61/2, set by Al Feuerbach in 1972. Godina recorded a personal best of 72-3 in 1999. Cantwell threw 70-111/4 last year.
High schoolers will be competing that weekend as well, making it one of the largest track meets in the world.
