Mike Hazle

Mike Hazle
Personal information
Full name Michael Gannon Hazle
Nationality  United States
Born (1979-03-22) 22 March 1979
Conroe, Texas
Residence Chula Vista, California[1]
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 91 kg (201 lb)
Sport
Sport Athletics
Event(s) Javelin throw
Coached by Ty Sevin[1]
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s) Outdoor: 83.74 m (2008)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing the  United States
Pan American Games
2007 Rio de Janeiro Javelin throw

Michael Gannon "Mike" Hazle (born March 22, 1979 in Conroe, Texas) is an American javelin thrower.[2] He is a four-time runner-up at the U.S. outdoor championships (2007–2010), before he claimed his first ever title in 2011. He also won a silver medal for his category at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[1]

Career

Hazle, a native of Conroe, Texas, started out his sporting career as a football and baseball enthusiast at Temple High School. He attended Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, where he played both football and baseball for three years, before ending his career with a knee injury. He was convinced by his long-time friend and mentor Don Hood to try out for track and field. Hazle initially trained and competed for the decathlon, but he decided to narrow his focus to the javelin throw, which was considered his best event. He qualified for the 2002 NCAA and U.S. outdoor championships, where he achieved his personal bests of 67.56 and 70.66 metres, respectively. Hazle also owned a bachelor's degree in exercise sports science (2001), and a master's degree in sports and business administration (2003) from Texas State University.[1][3]

Shortly after his graduation from the University, Hazle continued to compete at the U.S. national championships, but did not attain better than the fifth position in the javelin throw. In 2007, he reached his breakthrough season with a runner-up finish at the AT&T U.S. Outdoor Championships, posting a personal best throw of 75.06 metres.[4] Hazle also qualified for the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan, and eventually claimed a silver medal in men's javelin at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with a seasonal best throw of 75.33 metres.[5]

In 2008, Hazle set a personal best of 82.21 metres by placing third at the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix in Doha, Qatar.[6] He repeated his runner-up finish at the U.S. Outdoor National Championships, and also, at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, with a throw of 75.76 metres, earning him a spot on the United States team for the Olympics.[7][8]

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Hazle competed as a member of the U.S. track and field team in the men's javelin throw, along with his teammates Breaux Greer and Leigh Smith. He performed a best throw of 72.75 metres from his second attempt, but fell short in his bid for the twelve-man final, as he placed twenty-fifth overall in the qualifying rounds.[9]

Hazle continued his runner-up streak at the 2009 and 2010 U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships, until he claimed his first ever career title in 2011, with a best throw of 78.22 metres.[10] He was expected to qualify for the second time at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, and at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, but forced to withdraw from the competition because of a right elbow injury.[11]

Major competition record

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing the  United States
2008 Summer Olympics Beijing, China 25 Javelin throw 72.75 m
2009 IAAF World Championships Berlin, Germany 17 Javelin throw 78.17 m
2010 IAAF/VTB Bank Continental Cup Split, Croatia 8 Javelin throw 73.18 m

Seasonal bests by year

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "USATF – Mike Hazle". USA Track & Field. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  2. ↑ "Mike Hazle". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  3. ↑ "Mike Hazle, an Elite Athlete Grantee Biography". USATF Foundation. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  4. ↑ Staff (28 June 2007). "Bobcat alum set to compete at Worlds". San Marcos Record. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  5. ↑ "Cubans control track and field with 12 gold medals at Pan Ams". The Associated Press. ESPN. 28 June 2007. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  6. ↑ Solheim, Rolleiv (1 May 2008). "Javelin: Thorkildsen won at Doha". The Norway Post. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  7. ↑ Staff (8 July 2008). "Ex-Bobcat Hazle qualifies for Olympics". San Marcos Record. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  8. ↑ "Team USA throwers set for big tosses in Beijing". Team USA. 11 August 2008. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  9. ↑ "Men's Javelin Throw Qualifying Rounds". NBC Olympics. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  10. ↑ Lee, Kirby (25 June 2011). "Dix and Jeter claim 100m titles, Gay withdraws injured – USA Champs, Day 2". IAAF. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  11. ↑ "American record and three gold medals highlight historic night". USA Track & Field. 1 September 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
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