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The Yale Alumni Magazine is owned and operated by Yale Alumni Publications, Inc., a nonprofit corporation independent of Yale University. The content of the magazine and its website is the responsibility of the editors and does not necessarily reflect the views of Yale or its officers. |
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Men's track and field captain John Langhauser '07 made no secret of his plan to break the Yale shot put record. After his best throw landed just six inches short at a January meet against Columbia and Dartmouth, Langhauser told the Yale Daily News: "I will destroy the record." That record was Yale's longest-standing for indoor track and field, set in 1950 when Jim Fuchs '50 "put" the shot 57' 7" (17.57 meters). Fuchs had already won the bronze for shot put at the 1948 Olympics and would win a second bronze in 1952. During his career, he set four world records. (The current indoor world record is 22.66 meters.) Langhauser's next chance came six days after he made his bold claim. Although he easily won first place among 42 competitors at Boston University's Terrier Classic, his best throw of 17.06 meters fell short of the Yale record. It also fell short of his best at the Columbia-Dartmouth meet: 57' 1" (17.43 meters). Despite the setback, Langhauser seemed to enjoy the effect of his vow. "It was the sound bite of the week," he said at practice a few days later. Still, "I need to throw six inches farther than I've ever thrown. It's easier said than done." Throwing a shot requires more than simply hurling a 16-pound metal ball. The spin technique that Langhauser uses requires precise choreography: when Langhauser steps into the shot put circle, he faces the opposite direction of the throw, the shot nestled against his neck. Then he spins to create torque, whirling one and a half turns before releasing the shot. To succeed requires grace, good timing, and explosive force. Doing it right is counterintuitive, said Anna Mahon, the team's "throws" coach and a 2004 Olympic hammer contestant. "You think you want to go as hard as you can the whole time, and that's not how to do it. You have to be a student of the event. It's all about technique." Langhauser said Mahon taught him how to prepare mentally. "You only have a fraction of a second to make the difference between a good throw and a horrible throw. You only get three throws in a competition. Before a meet, I'll sit and relax and close my eyes and visualize myself throwing in the circle. I feel it and I see it in my head where I need to do certain things." Although Langhauser is 6' 1" and 255 pounds, he says that "for a shot-putter, that's a dwarf." He likes throwing in part because his prowess can be reduced to a number. "It's very objective. You know where you stand." As she watched Langhauser prepare for the February 3 Giegengack Invitational, Mahon speculated that the pressure of the highly competitive meet might help Langhauser. She was right. At his last meet ever at Yale, on his final throw, Langhauser fulfilled his mission. He threw the shot 17.88 meters, surpassing Fuchs by 31 centimeters, or 12 inches. As he stepped out of the circle after his throw, the normally self-contained Langhauser seemed almost giddy. Someone called out: "You broke a 57-year-old record," and Langhauser replied: "It was time for that record to go." Jim Fuchs apparently agreed. That afternoon, the 79-year-old former record holder sent Langhauser an e-mail. "Congratulations," Fuchs wrote. "Records are meant to be broken." |
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