Jaxon Conger threw his first shot put in March. Now, he’s a USATF gold medalist
Jaxon Conger’s meteoric rise atop national shot-put podiums resembles nothing of a lifelong thrower’s road to glory.
It’s instead the tale of a 12-year-old from downtown Puyallup who threw his first shot put in March and was the best in the United States by July.
Conger and family recently trekked to College Station, Texas, for the USATF Junior Olympic Championships from July 22-28. By week’s end, Conger had two medals in tow – the gold in Boys 11-12 Shot Put and a silver medal in the Discus Throw.
“He made sure he separated himself, so there was no question,” the announcer read as family members clamored and Conger donned his newly-bestowed gold medal center stage.
Conger had unleashed the six-pound shot put 14.75 meters (48-03.75) on his penultimate throw, clearing a stacked 11-12 Boys field at the Junior Olympics by two and a half feet.
Even now, the middle schooler from Puyallup struggles to completely comprehend his four-month ascension from beginner to great.
“I definitely couldn’t (imagine) this was going to happen, either,” Conger’s mother, Renee, told The News Tribune. “A couple weeks ago, I actually put two and two together. I (told) Jaxon, ‘We’re going to Texas. You’re doing the Junior Olympics right now.’ And that’s when I really realized … This is a lot more than I was expecting it to be.”
Conger’s newfound mastery of throwing blossomed naturally through friendship. His best friend and football teammate, Carter Kimble, encouraged him to join the local track-and-field club.
Conger obliged. Initially, he joined Kimble for 4x100 relays and the 100-meter dash before an early hip fracture sidelined Conger from the track.
So he picked up the shot put.
“The first meet we had, I (tried) shot put and won first,” Conger said. “I already (was) in the rankings for the nation.
“So I kept going.”
Within months, coaches at the Royal T Foundation, Conger’s training center, approached Renee: “He’s doing so well, you better start looking for tickets to Texas.”
It’s a constantly busy schedule for Conger, who juggles schoolwork with throwing training and weekend football. He threw at last week’s Junior Olympics in dedication to his father, Johnnie Lawson, lost on Nov. 5, 2023.
“I was just doing it for him,” Conger said of his gold-medal throw.
Once safely transported home, the gold and silver medals are to be framed in a shadowbox inside the Conger home.
More awards certainly appear on their way.
The next step?
“Just keep doing shot put and disc,” he said. “Keep PR-ing. Keep getting better. And maybe try to get one of the World Records.”
ATKINS STRIKES GOLD IN TRIPLE JUMP
It’s a national repeat for Cassandra Atkins.
The recent Federal Way graduate and University of Oregon track and field commit added a second national title to her crowded trophy case, capturing a consecutive triple jump crown at the USATF Junior Olympics in Texas.
Atkins emerged from a competitive field with a leap of 41-03.75, enough to conquer the Women’s 17-18 division by two inches. The Alpha Speed Academy (University Place) trainee shared the podium with club teammate Addison Kelly (Silas High School), who finished third in the nation for the bronze (40-11).
Overall titles continue to pile up for Atkins at both state and national levels, a three-time triple jump and two-time long jump state champion at the WIAA’s State Track and Field Championships at Mount Tahoma High School. She defended both titles in Tacoma last May, including an unofficial state meet record in the long jump (19-09.75) to outlast fellow phenom and Illinois commit JaiCieonna Gero-Holt.
“(The triple jump) is my favorite event,” Atkins told The News Tribune after her three-peat-clinching leap at Mount Tahoma just over two months ago. “To three-peat in this one means the absolute world to me.”
TWO GOLDS FOR SOUTH KITSAP’S BENJAMIN
One local brought home two gold medals from Texas.
Neither race was particularly close.
Isaac Benjamin, an incoming junior at South Kitsap High School, blew past challengers in the 2,000-meter steeplechase and 3,000-meter run in the Boys 15-16 divisions for USATF national titles in Texas.
The distance runner based at Thriller Track and Field (South Colby) completed the steeplechase in 6:02.93, nearly 23 seconds in front of the field, and dominated the 3,000-meter run with a comfortable 16-second winning margin (8:39.21).
Also a gold medalist in the 2,000-meter steeplechase: Yakima’s Hadley Hanchett stormed to victory in the Girls 13-14 division, setting both personal and national records in the event (7:07.96).
LOCAL GOLD MEDALISTS
Six area athletes from Washington state struck gold at the USATF Junior Olympic Championships in Texas:
WOMEN 17-18
Hammer throw: Kimberly Beard, Mukilteo (180-05)
Triple jump: Cassandra Atkins, University Place (41-03.75)
BOYS 15-16
400-meter hurdles: Kenyon Andrews, Renton (52.77)
2,000-meter steeplechase: Isaac Benjamin, South Kitsap (6:02.93)
3,000-meter run: Isaac Benjamin, South Kitsap (8:39.21)
GIRLS 13-14
2,000-meter steeplechase: Hadley Hanchett, Yakima (7:07.96)
BOYS 11-12
Shot put: Jaxon Conger, Puyallup (48-04.75)
This story was originally published August 2, 2024 at 10:45 AM.
