Kent State University
Summer Olympics
Kent State Throws Greats Eye History at Tokyo Olympics
7/22/2021 6:00:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
KENT, Ohio — Reggie Jagers III and Danniel Thomas-Dodd will continue a legacy of Kent State track and field throwers who have been able to add 'Olympian' to their résumé when they compete at the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo next weekend. The former teammates are expected to be in contention for spots on the medal podium, which is something no Golden Flashes thrower has been able to achieve.
This is the second Olympics for Thomas-Dodd, who placed 26th at the 2016 Rio Olympics while competing for Jamaica, while Jagers III is set for his Olympics debut. Kent State has developed six Olympic throwers dating back to 1972 when teammates Jacques Accambray and Al Schoterman recorded 19th and 22nd men's hammer throw finishes, respectively, in Munich. Accambray improved to ninth at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. While Gerald Tinker won gold as part of the USA's men's 4x400 meter relay team in 1972 and Thomas Jefferson sprinted to men's 200-meter bronze in 1984, no Flash has been able to post a top-10 finish in a throwing event since.
Thomas-Dodd entered the 2016 women's shot put competition as one of the youngest athletes in the field and still had a year of college eligibility remaining after redshirting the NCAA season. She has gained much experience in international competition over the past five years and currently holds a No. 3 world ranking, according to World Athletics. Thomas-Dodd made history as the first Caribbean woman ever to medal in the event at a World Championships with a silver medal performance in 2019 and aims to be the first woman from the region to earn an Olympic medal. Her Jamaican and Pan American Games record mark of 19.55m (64'-1.75") in August 2019 would have been good enough for top-four finishes in every Olympics this century, including silver in 2004 and 2008.
"Going back to the Olympics for a second time is definitely something I looked forward to, and I am happy that this time around I feel a lot better and confident with where I am going in," stated the Westmoreland, Jamaica native. "There's more purpose behind this one."
It came down to the final throw at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials for Jagers III to secure his place on Team USA, becoming Kent State's first member since Kim Kreiner (women's javelin throw) made consecutive teams in 2004 and 2008. After placing second in the men's discus throw qualifying round with a heave of 62.55m (205'-2") on his opening attempt, the Cleveland native failed to hit the 201' mark on his next seven throws and sat in fourth place, one spot away from qualifying for Tokyo, going into his last attempt. Jagers III then launched the disc 62.61m (205'-5") on the most important throw of his life, to this point, vaulting into second place and earning a spot on the team.
"Making the Olympic team puts everything into perspective," Jagers III reflected. "I was the only freshman in the discus at the NCAA Championships in 2013, then went on to make the Pan American Junior Championships team that same year. That's when the Olympic dream was born."
Jagers III did not begin competing in the sport until his junior year of high school but placed fifth at the state meet as a senior. He captured the bronze medal in his first time wearing the Team USA uniform at the 2013 Pan American Junior Championships and finished in the top-20 at the NCAA Championships in all four years at Kent State, including a runner-up showing as a senior. A few months later, Jagers III won gold at the 2017 World University Games and added a USATF title in 2018 with a lifetime personal-best best throw of 68.61m (225'-1"). His season-best mark of 67.82m (222'6") ranks sixth in the world this year and would have been good enough for top-four finishes in every Olympics this century, including silver in 2004, 2008 and 2016.
"I feel relieved and proud that at one point some would say my goals and dreams were too high because they didn't see the Olympics as being something that was obtainable," Jagers III added. "But to me the vision was very clear. I stayed the course and did what I said and believed I would do. Aim for the stars and you'll land on the moon. Making the Olympic team is part of the dream. I want a medal at the Olympic Games."
While Thomas-Dodd and Jagers III officially punched their tickets to Tokyo in June, they will not be the only Kent State track and field alumni competing on the world stage. Samory Fraga earned his qualifying spot for the men's long jump in late April.
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