Competing among the giants of his sport, Anchorage shot putter Jordan Clarke responded in a big, big way Sunday at the U.S. track and field championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Clarke, 24, threw a personal best on his final attempt, a monster throw of 70 feet, 6.25 inches that gave him third place and his first national-championship medal.
By placing in the top three in a field that included five men who rank among the season's top nine shot putters in the world, Clarke earned a ticket to the world championships August 23-30 in Beijing.
"I'm very happy to be going to my first world championships," he said by phone. "I'm pretty pumped."
Clarke's bronze-medal throw was a personal best by 4.75 inches and a season best by six inches.
Only two others at Hayward Field on Sunday threw farther than 70 feet – world leader Joe Kovacs, who took gold (71-8), and Olympic silver medalist Christian Cantwell, who took second (71-0).
In fourth place at 69-6 was Reese Hoffa, the defending world champion.
Though Clarke is a newcomer to the victory podium at the national championships, his appearance there Sunday wasn't an upset. A second-year pro who was a four-time NCAA champion at Arizona State, he was coming off two straight silver-medal performances in Diamond League international meets.
"I'm in pretty good shape, so I was kinda expecting to PR," he said. "I just had to execute and do it.
"…My rhythm was a little bit off in warmups and an my first couple throws. I did a couple easy drills between my throws to feel that correct pattern again."
Though PRs are treasures, Clarke's primary goal Sunday was to qualify for the U.S. team that will go to Beijing in August for the world championships.
Ordinarily a team is allowed three athletes per event, provided they all meet the international qualifying standard. But because Hoffa is the defending world champion, the United States' quota in the men's shot put is four.
That means Clarke could have finished fourth and still qualified for the world championships, provided Hoffa finished in the top three.
As he prepared to take his final throw, Clarke was in fourth place with a fifth-round mark of 69-3.5. He trailed Kovacs, Hoffa and Cantwell, in that order, and those three were the only ones still waiting for their sixth attempt. That meant no matter what, Clarke's trip to Beijing was secure.
"It kind of took a little of the pressure off," Clarke said, "but I'm happy I improved. I'm happy I really earned the spot instead of being lucky to be the fourth guy."
Clarke – who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 315 pounds – said he knew his last throw was a good one as soon as it left his fingertips.
"You definitely know if it's good or not," he said. "The best way to put it is if you've ever played baseball or softball and you hit the ball and feel like you connected on it really well.
"You can tell when you really connect on it."
Clarke's big throw, which bettered his previous PR of 70-1.50, set last season, temporarily put him in second place. But Cantwell surpassed Clarke's 70-6.25 with his final throw of 71-0. Hoffa fouled on his final attempt, sealing the bronze for Clarke.
On hand to see the Bartlett High graduate receive his medal were mom and dad Christine and Mike Clarke of Anchorage, fiancée Kelli Kyle of Phoenix and her mother Donna, Clarke's future mother-in-law.
Clarke, who graduated from Bartlett in 2008 and Arizona State in 2013, lives and trains in Phoenix. He and Kyle are planning an Oct. 9 wedding – about seven weeks after Clarke makes his debut at the world championships.
Two Alaska athletes will compete in Beijing. On Saturday in Eugene, Eielson High graduate Janay DeLoach captured third place in the women's long jump to make the U.S. team.
As high school athletes, Clarke and DeLoach, who captured the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics, left what are so-far indelible marks in the Alaska track and field record book.
DeLoach's long jump record of 19-5 hasn't been approached since she set it in 2003, and Clarke's 2007 record of 192-7 in the discus and 2008 record of 71-3 in the shot put have never been threatened either (a 12-pound shot is used in high school; a 16-pound shot is used in college and beyond).
Clarke said he will compete in two meets in Europe before returning to Phoenix to prepare for the world championships.
"The ideal thing would be to bring home a medal to the U.S.," he said. "It is my first world championships and those meets can be very stressful, very distracting with the media, the thousands of athletes and coaches and the sheer busy-ness of it.
"My biggest goal is to get over there, not get distracted, train through it and hopefully bring home a medal."