John Godina

John Carl Godina (born May 31, 1972) is an American shot putter, whose record includes three World Championship wins and two Olympic medals. He also competes in discus. Godina was born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

John Godina
Personal information
BornMay 31, 1972 (1972-05-31) (age 48)
Fort Sill, Oklahoma, U.S.
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
1996 Atlanta Shot put
2000 Sydney Shot put
World Championships
1995 Gothenburg Shot put
1997 Athens Shot put
2001 Edmonton Shot put
World Indoor Championships
2001 Lisbon Shot put

High school years

While attending Cheyenne Central High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Godina was a letterman in football and outdoor track and field. He was an All-State honoree, and an All-American in both sports.

College years and Olympic Games

At college level, competing for UCLA, he won three outdoor NCAA championship victories, two in discus and one in shot put. His 1995 NCAA Outdoor shot put title was a national record, at the time with a throw of 22.00 meters (72'2.25"). In 1995, he won his first World Championship title in shot put, adding additional titles in 1997, and 2001. In the same discipline, he finished second in the 1996 Olympics and third in the 2000 Olympics. He also qualified to those same Olympics in the Discus, the first American to qualify in both since Bud Houser in 1924[1] and he finished 8th in the 2004 Olympics in the Shot Put.[2] He retired in 2009 after suffering through injuries at the 2008 Olympic Trials.[1]

Godina is one of the most decorated shot putters in U.S. athletics history. His legacy compares well with Parry O'Brien, who won two Olympic gold medals (1952, 1956) and one silver medal (1960), placed fourth in the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, and broke the world record 17 times.

Godina was named to the Mt. SAC Relays Hall of Fame in 2010. His coach Art Venegas was named to the Hall in 2011.[3] He was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

World Throws Center

John has a throwing academy in five different locations, two in California (Sacramento and San Ramon). The other three are located in Arizona (Phoenix, Mesa and Glendale).[4]

Godina trains top international athletes like Vikas Gowda, Suzy Powell and Dan Taylor.[5]

Achievements
Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing the  United States
1990 World Junior Championships Plovdiv, Bulgaria 20th (q) Discus 40.88 m
1996 Olympic Games Atlanta, United States 2nd Shot put 20.79 m
1997 IAAF Grand Prix Final Fukuoka, Japan 3rd Discus 65.56 m
2001 World Championships Edmonton, Canada 1st Shot put 21.87 m
2004 Olympic Games Athens, Greece 9th Shot put 20.19 m
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References
  1. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=oly&id=3938217
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. http://www.mtsacrelays.com/fame.html
  4. "World Throws Center Locations". World Throws Center.
  5. http://www.legacy.usatf.org/Athlete-Bios/Archive-Bios/Dan-Taylor.aspx
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