A stupendous photograph captures the sundown over Millican Area in Ramona, Oklahoma. Because the final rays of solar fade over the horizon, there’s a hanging picture of a lone throws circle, its vibrant concrete contrasting in opposition to the huge, darkish house that surrounds it. The vacancy is fascinating.
By day, the venue casts a unique spell. Its magic attracts the world’s greatest throwers. “What’s it [about the place]?” Nick Percy requested fellow thrower Alex Rose in 2023, intrigued by what he’d heard. “It has nice situations”, the Samoan replied, “but it surely’s simply such a tremendous ambiance with everybody wanting everybody else to throw far”.
Ramona is Throw City (USA), a real-life discipline of goals. “That’s why I wished to go on the market,” explains Scottish record-holder Percy, who threw a lifetime greatest and European and Olympic qualifying commonplace of 67.73m on the venue in April.
“It’s a love venture [from Don Millican and coach Caleb Seal]. These guys bought a plot of land in a rural space, constructed a beautiful facility, then mentioned: ‘Come and throw’.”
Glasgow-born, Isle of Wight-based Percy, a five-time British champion and 2016 NCAA discus champion, made his Nice Britain and Northern Eire senior debut on the London 2017 World Championships. In 2022, he represented GB & NI on the World and European Championships and completed fifth for Scotland on the Commonwealth Video games. That very same 12 months he threw 65m, his greatest on the time, earlier than a again harm induced him to overlook nearly all of the winter.
His kind and health began to return by way of summer time 2023 – he managed a season’s better of 64.73m – however not quickly sufficient to make it to the World Championships in Budapest. That have, and the prospect of constructing his first Olympics, satisfied him to go “all in” for 2024.
His 67.73m, the second-furthest throw of all time by a British athlete, got here on his first day of competitors on the Oklahoma Throws Collection. Alongside the enjoyment, nonetheless, got here a usually blended reception starting from shock and shock to downright indignation. Maybe the context and a larger consciousness of Percy’s constant efforts would have helped placate these naysayers. Actually, all through a month of competitors, the 29-year-old threw a number of occasions over 63.80m and delivered 4 throws in extra of his earlier greatest.
“Every little thing sounds windier on the audio,” he laughs, responding to those that recommend his efficiency was purely right down to beneficial situations.
Percy’s fourth-best ever efficiency (65.37m) got here in a memorable discus competitors one week later as Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna threw an unimaginable 74.35m to interrupt the world document on the Oklahoma Throws Collection World Invitational.
Nick Percy (Mark Shearman)
“I threw 65.37m and got here ninth,” he says, with nearly disbelief. “It’s nuts to assume that may make the ultimate in a World Champs and in any regular competitors you’d be battling for a medal. I believe we had round 200 individuals in attendance that day. We had been so pleased for everybody to throw far and that’s the magic of that discipline, it’s such a constructive atmosphere.
“I drove Mykolas again to the airport the subsequent day,” he provides. “I went from considered one of my greatest throws ever to being a taxi driver to the world record-holder. How humbling is that? There’s quite a bit you’ll be able to be taught from these guys, however typically you be taught extra not by asking questions, however by observing, by watching what they do, how they put together, how they act, how they’ll deal with this stuff.”
All of that’s made potential by the lure of Millican Area. For those who construct it, the most effective will come.
» This characteristic first appeared within the June situation of AW journal – subscribe right here
