2024 AAU National Junior Olympics – Greensboro, NC – 27Jul-3Aug’24:
- Toby Pallett
- Aug 29, 2024
- 3 min read
This was my 6th big meet in Greensboro (2 New Balance HS Nationals, 1 USATF National JO and now 3 AAU National JOs). Greensboro and the North Carolina State A&T track & field facility definitely feels like a 2nd home track. It’s nice knowing ahead of time where to park, where to practice and even where to eat! I’m a thrower. You know I hit Sticks and Stones for a good wood fired pizza!
We had 8 of our throwers take part in this year’s AAU National JO. Unlike previous years, this was a week of highs and lows. There were even a couple of “could have been” moments like 1st year thrower Gabriel foot fouling an absolute bomb in discus that would have won the 12yr boys discus. While I will revisit the lows (and think about what I should have done differently to better prepare everyone), I’ll stick to the highlights here.
· Zoe placing 2nd in 13 yr old pentathlon (improving one place from last year)
· Maggie hitting a PR in javelin in the pouring rain on Monday to place 3rd (improving one spot from 2023)
· All 4 of our shot putters on Wednesday medaling. Maggie defending her silver from last year. Zoe improving one spot to 6th. Gabriel placing 4th with a standing throw (look out when he figures out rotation). Teegan moving up to 17-18yr and equaling his 7th place finish from last year.
· The indelible memory for me will be Maggie’s clutch 6th round PR toss of 116’ 11” to reclaim the AAU 13yr old Discus National Championship. She had been leading since round 2, but Silease James put her to the test with a 6th round toss of 115’ 4” to take the lead. Maggie stepped right in afterwards and hit her lifetime best throw to reclaim 1st. I couldn’t have been prouder of her ability to execute under pressure. After a week of ups and downs, it was a great “walk-off moment".
Day 1-2 (Multi-Events):
Zoe Ghanbari – 2823pts (592pts from shot) – PR – AAU 13yr Pentathlon Silver Medalist!!
– 35’ 11.5” – shot put (3rd)
Teegan Simmons – 5488pts (2094pts from throws) – 10th place 17-18yr Decathlon
– 159’ 0” – javelin (1st) - SR
– 148’ 5” – discus (2nd)
– 47’ 5” – shot (1st)
Aria Simmons – 419pts (158pts from shot) – 25th place 9yr Triathlon
– 13’ 9.5” – shot (19th)
Days 3-8: (Open Events)
Maggie Kandt – 91’ 1” – 600g javelin (3rd) – PR – AAU 13yr Javelin Bronze Medalist!!
– 42’ 3.25” – 6lb shot (2nd) – SR – AAU 13yr Shot Put Silver Medalist!!
– 116’ 11” – 1kg discus (1st) – PR – AAU 13yr Discus National Champ!!
Gabriel Dunn – 96’ 9” – 15th place 12yr 400g turbo javelin
– 39’ 4” – 4th place 12yr shot
– dns – 12yr discus
Zoe Ghanbari – 38’ 2.75” – 6th place 13yr shot
Teegan Simmons – 51’ 8.5” – 7th place 17-18yr shot
– 140’ 5” – 24th place 17-18yr discus
– 143’ 9” – 20th place 17-18yr javelin
Torran Simmons – 131’ 4” – 16th place 15-16yr javelin
– 35’ 8.75” – 45th place 15-16yr shot
– 121’ 2” – 15th place 15-16yr discus
Joe Cain – 41’ 11.25” – 18th place 15-16yr shot – SR (rotating)
– dns – 15-16yr discus
Emma Antonczak – 100’ 8” – 44th place 17-18yr discus
– 30’ 7.75” – 51st place 17-18yr shot
– 79’ 6” – 33rd place 17-18yr javelin
Aria Simmons – 15’ 1.25” – 6lb shot put (38th place 9yr)
AAU Live Results:
Milesplit Interview with Zoe Ghanbari after her silver medal in 13yr old Pentathlon:
I know we have some pretty awesome kids that throw with our club, but I’m continually impressed with how well they handle these interviews. Maggie was also interviewed but I’ve yet to see it posted.
Pictures with the Medalists:
