Knoch grad Geist focused on future shot put events, including Olympic Trials

Michael Love | Sunday, May 10, 2020 5:36 p.m.

University of Arizona athletics

Knoch graduate Jordan Geist competes in the shot put for the University of Arizona at the 2019 Pac 12 Outdoor Championships in Tucson, Ariz.

In the most recent world rankings for the men’s shot put, Jordan Geist checked in at No. 19, fifth among his American colleagues.

Those rankings came out the last day of March, and in the weeks prior, Geist, who owns a personal record of 21.59 meters (70 feet, 10 inches), was building momentum for his junior outdoor season at Arizona and the Olympic Trials in June.

But the coronavirus pandemic changed the gameplan for athletes all over the world, and for the Knoch graduate, the focus has turned to continued training for the next competition — whenever that takes place.

“It all comes down to getting the reps now so I am ready to compete again,” said Geist, an NCAA outdoor All-American. “I’ve been up in Phoenix with my girlfriend (Arizona State shot putter Samantha Noennig). We have a circle where we’ve been throwing, and I have a buddy who has a home gym where we can lift. Training is different but not really affected as much as it could’ve been.”

The Olympic Trials for track and field will be June 18-27, 2021, in Eugene, Ore., in advance of the rescheduled Tokyo Games.

“It will give me another year to develop and catch up more to the professional guys,” said Geist, a bronze medalist (20.31) at last year’s NCAA championship meet. “I’m looking forward to it because I’ve been throwing against these people for a couple of years now. I think I am gaining ground. It should be a lot of fun.”

When the spring college season was wiped out, it created limited opportunities for Geist to gain advice from Arizona throwing coach T.J. Crater. The two have spoken a couple of times a week through FaceTime and Zoom. Geist said he also has called upon other sources for advice.

“As Jordan and I kind of worked through our plans and how we were going to get through this, he jumped in head first and really proactively trained on his own,” Crater said. “He’s tried to stay as normal as possible. What I’ve been hearing from him is all positive with what he is able to do. He’s not only surviving. He’s thriving.

“Jordan has a year to get better and grow. The day of the trials will be the biggest test. He’s going to have to be in great shape, hit a big throw and have some luck on his side going against some of the best in the world. He will be the young pup in the group, and he knows that, but that’s not stopping him from being ready to compete at a high level.”

Men’s shot put at the Olympic Trials is expected to be loaded, with defending Olympic champion Ryan Crouser, reigning world champion Joe Kovacs and the world’s sixth-ranked thrower, Darrell Hill, at the head of the class.

Crouser set an Olympic record of 22.52 meters at the 2016 Rio games.

American Payton Otterdahl is ranked 18th, one spot ahead of Geist.

“We are waiting to see if his marks will carry over to next year or if he will have to re-qualify,” Crater said.

Geist’s took an indoor-season redshirt this past winter. It came on the heels of what Crater said was several years of competing and training at a high level. Geist closed last summer with a silver medal at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

“It was important for Jordan to take some time to put emphasis on technical and strength needs and let him catch his breath a little bit and refocus,” Crater said. “We wanted to see where he was at and if what he was doing was working.”

Geist competed unattached at several indoor meets, including the USATF Championships in Albuqurque in February. He placed sixth (20.14).

His best indoor throw, 20.91, came in a meet at Northern Arizona a week after the U.S. championships.

“We were encouraged where he was heading for the outdoor season,” Crater said. “We both felt he was going in the right direction.”

Geist said he will continue to train for a potential return to competition sometime in the next several months. Crater knows Geist will be ready when his number is called.

“Rumors are flying around about a possible U.S. (outdoor) championship meet in September,” Crater said. “I love the thought of that. Jordan is looking forward to returning to competition. If that doesn’t happen, he will be ready to represent Arizona at the first indoor meet in December.”