A stupendous photograph captures the sundown over Millican Subject in Ramona, Oklahoma. Because the final rays of solar fade over the horizon, there’s a placing picture of a lone throws circle, its vibrant concrete contrasting towards the huge, darkish area that surrounds it. The vacancy is fascinating.
By day, the venue casts a distinct 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 circumstances”, 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 subject 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 customary of 67.73m on the venue in April.
“It’s a love mission [from Don Millican and coach Caleb Seal]. These guys bought a plot of land in a rural space, constructed a beautiful facility, then stated: ‘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 yr he threw 65m, his greatest on the time, earlier than a again damage triggered him to overlook nearly all of the winter.
His type and health began to return by summer season 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 creating 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 Sequence. Alongside the enjoyment, nonetheless, got here a sometimes blended reception starting from shock and shock to downright indignation. Maybe the context and a higher consciousness of Percy’s constant efforts would have helped placate these naysayers. In reality, 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 circumstances.
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 unbelievable 74.35m to interrupt the world document on the Oklahoma Throws Sequence World Invitational.
Nick Percy (Mark Shearman)
“I threw 65.37m and got here ninth,” he says, with virtually disbelief. “It’s nuts to suppose 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 folks in attendance that day. We have been so comfortable for everybody to throw far and that’s the magic of that subject, it’s such a constructive atmosphere.
“I drove Mykolas again to the airport the following day,” he provides. “I went from one among my greatest throws ever to being a taxi driver to the world record-holder. How humbling is that? There’s rather a lot you possibly can study from these guys, however typically you study 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 attainable by the lure of Millican Subject. If you happen to construct it, one of the best will come.
» This function first appeared within the June problem of AW journal – subscribe right here
