Parry O'Brien, 75; Revolutionized Shot Put

Parry O'Brien, whose fascination with the shotput and physics fueled a career in which he held the world record from 1953 to 1959 and won two gold medals and a silver medal in four Olympic games, has died. He was 75.O'Brien, who revolutionized the sport by devising a new throwing technique, died Saturday while participating in a masters' swim meet in Santa Clarita. His wife, Terry, with whom he lived in the Rancho Belago section of Moreno Valley, said he had suffered a heart attack.

At his peak, O'Brien won 116 consecutive competitions. He was the first shotputter to exceed 60 feet and extended the world record from 59 feet, 3/4 inch in 1953 to 63 feet, 4 inches in 1959, raising it 16 times.

LA Times Obituary

Tomas Fajardo Breaks 60-Foot Barrier

Tomas Fajardo announced his arrival on the national shot put scene with personal best throw of 60’ 7¼” (18.47m) to win the shot put at the 2007 Pomona-Pitzer Invitational. A mid-year graduate of Cal State Northridge with a degree in Recreation Management, he is now working on a M.A. degree in Public Administration.

Read more at the VS Athletics Track Club website.

Moreno and Martinez excel at Cuban Throwing Champs

Olympic and World Championships Hammer Throw silver medalist Yipsi Moreno and World Championships Javelin Throw finalist Guillermo Martinez produced the highest notes at the Cuban Throwing Champs Aurelio Janet Memorial, held last weekend (10-11March) in the eastern city of Santiago.

A week after erasing her national and CAC area record with 75.64m in Jamaica, Moreno, the 2001 and 2003 World champion, confirmed her good early season form with a 73.25 metre effort.

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Christian Cantwell Named USA Track & Field's Athlete Of The Week

Christian Cantwell has been named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week after winning the 2007 men's Indoor Visa Championship and men's shot put national title Sunday at the AT&T USA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Boston, Mass.

The 2004 World Indoor champion, Cantwell cemented his victory in the men's shot put with his first throw of 21.72meters /71 feet 3.5 inches. Cantwell had led the Visa Championship Series since his winning heave of 21.88m/71-9 at the 100^th Millrose Games earned him 1,233 points. For his championship performance, Cantwell won $25,000 from Visa to support his Olympic journey.