From TrackSide Magazine (Issue 4): Then and Now - John Godina

John Godina is readily recognized as one of the greatest American throwers of all time – sharing the same rarified air with Mac Wilkins, Al Oerter, and contemporaries such as Adam Nelson and Reese Hoffa. A native of Cheyenne, Wyoming, Godina excelled has a high school athlete, making All-American in both football and track before heading farther west to attend college at UCLA, where he won five NCAA championships in the shot-put and discus (three outdoor, two indoor) while breaking the national record in the shot (22.00 meters) with his 1995 title performance.

John Godina is a four-time world champion in the
shot-put, but now spends more time training world
 class throwers. (R: video of Godina's 22.00-meter toss)

Godina’s success continued after college, and his throwing career saw the Arizona resident win four World shot-put titles, to go along with two Olympic medals (silver in 1996, bronze in 2000).

In late 2013, Godina received perhaps his biggest public acclaim to date, being inducted into the USATF Hall of Fame. This accolade could be due to his versatility as a thrower. Although all of his World championships and Olympic medals were in the shot-put, he is one of only 10 men to be ranked in the Track and Field News World Top 10 for the shot and discus in the same year; in fact, his 1-3 ranking in 1998 was the second best ever.

Today, Godina, 41, trains world class throwers such as Vikas Gowda and Suzy Powell, and has opened the World Athletics Center (worldthrowscenter.com), a high level training facility for athletes of all ages. Currently there are four locations – two in Arizona and two in Northern California, but plans for further expansion are in the works for 2014 and beyond.

Q: You retired from competition in 2009. How did you make the transition from being a professional athlete to opening the World Throws Center?

Godina: I officially retired in 2009, but my last competition was at the 2008 Olympic Trials. I just needed some time after the meet to think about things. But even back in ’06, after my shoulder surgery, I realized that I didn’t have much (competition) time left, and started thinking about what I was going to do after this. I knew that track was my calling card, where my name was known, and that I wanted to morph into something that dealt with the throwing business. But, I eventually wanted to get involved with all of track and field, not just the throws, which is why we changed the name to the World Athletics Center. We knew that would be the endpoint.

Q: Indeed, you have moved beyond just throws. In fact, it looks like you’re getting involved with other sports. How do you go about finding another sport to add?

Godina: You must be talking about the bobsled. Sometimes it just works. Bobsled teams are mostly made up of former track athletes, with enough leg strength to push the sled. Some of the training is the same. I hope we’re helping. USA Bobsled seems happy with what we’re doing. Our athletes have a couple of early wins in World Cup events. I enjoy the fact that we work with athletes who are in the Olympics every two years.

Q: Are you currently looking to expand to other sports?

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