Knoch grad Jordan Geist just missed the Paris Olympics. He’s gearing up for LA Summer Games
Jordan Geist was the odd man out. That result didn’t particularly shock him.
Competing in his second U.S. Olympic Trials last month, the former Knoch throwing standout finished fourth in the shot put, just missing the cut.
Two-time Olympic champion Ryan Crouser placed first with a throw of 74 feet, 11.25 inches, and Penn State alumnus Joe Kovacs second (73-7.25). Payton Otterdahl grabbed the final qualifying spot (73-0.5).
Geist’s best effort was 71-6.
“I’ve been doing the U.S. championships since 2017, so it’s pretty much the same meet,” Geist said. “I had a bunch of experience against these people. (I’d) kind of been used to that since my senior year of high school.”
Make no mistake, however, the familiarity of his competition provided no sense of comfort. Crouser and Kovacs are two of the best shot put throwers in history, Geist said.
He knew he’d need to perform perfectly to have any chance at reaching Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
“That’s always kind of tough going into the competition knowing that we’re all just kind of fighting for third,” Geist said. “Payton, the guy who got third place, he made the last Olympic team and the world team last year, as well.
“It was going to take a really off day for him or a really on day for me to be able to make that team. The placement wasn’t surprising. It was disappointing being in fourth place, but that’s kind of what I expected going into it.”
The next weekend, Geist finished fifth in the men’s hammer throw qualifiers (250-4). He missed the cut based on averages a few days later, too.
“I had a bunch of injuries early in the season that I was overcoming,” Geist said. “I knew that I was going to throw far a lot later in the season because of that. I got fifth place at the meet last year, too.”
Geist hurt his hand competing in the Pan-American Games in November, which kept him from throwing the shot put for six weeks. He also dealt with ailments to his hamstring, adductor and oblique.
“There was about a 15-week stretch where I could only throw about three weeks,” Geist said. “Just being healthy and overcoming that and being able to kind of make a final build up to the trials was, I think, just an accomplishment in itself.”
Geist, 26, is encouraged he has a longer road ahead in the shot put compared to the others he’s competed against. His training age in hammer is younger than other guys, as well. He’s aiming to reach the 2028 Summer Olympics, which will take place in Los Angeles.
“I’m the youngest in the shot put by a good bit, so the guys who are top two are both in their 30s,” Geist said. “They’re both freaks of nature, though, so they might keep going. I just don’t know what their bodies are able to handle.
“I am kind of the up-and-comer still in the sport.”
