Chase Ealey in the qualifying round of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 (© Getty Images)
Chase Ealey has been unstoppable this season.
The 2022 World Indoor Championships shot put silver medallist is undefeated. She hit three personal bests in consecutive competitions in June and has the world leading distance this year after throwing 20.51m at the US national championships at Hayward Field just two weeks ago.
Women from the US are dominating throwing events this year, entering the world championships with the world-leading distances in the shot put, javelin, discus and hammer throws. Ealey leads the host team’s women’s shot put squad, which also includes Maggie Ewen, Adelaide Aquilla and Jessica Woodard, eager to add to the host nation’s modest World Championships shot put medal haul. Women shot putters from the US have won just three medals in world championship competition: one silver and a pair of bronze.
“I'm really happy that we're leading all four events,” Ealey said at the USA Track & Field press conference, a day before the start of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 in Eugene. “I'm really proud of it.”
Both Ealey and Ewen qualified for today’s (16) final with identical throws of 18.96m in Friday’s qualifying round, as did Woodard with 19.08m, each earning a chance at redemption after they failed to make the 2021 Olympic team last summer. Ewen, who qualified for the World Championships as last year’s Wanda Diamond League champion, said that she’s excited that the focus of her physical progress is on worlds.
“The USA is so deep in the women’s shot put that we usually have to peak for nationals just to make the team,” Ewen said.
Ewen has the fifth-furthest distance this season after throwing 19.79m at the US Indoor Championships in February. She finished fifth at the 2022 World Indoor Championships.
“We’re all getting better in the US, we’re all the same age, we’re all very young, we’re all very new and we’re still all developing. It keeps you on your toes,” Ewen said. “You know there’s competition right next to you.”
Ealey, who was second at the World Indoor Championships in March, 22cm behind winner Auriol Dongmo of Portugal, is stronger than ever. Ealey has bested Dongmo and Ewen in every meet they’ve competed in together during the outdoor season.
Ealey’s success came after a difficult year. She was thrown off her pace of improvement when she developed long COVID-related intestinal issues in the winter of 2021 and couldn’t keep food down, losing more than 40 pounds over the course of two months.
The 2021 Olympic Trials were a deep disappointment for Ealey, after a fifth place finish with a best of 18.39m.
“I got defeated and gave up,” Ealey said in an Instagram caption recapping the experience.
Ealey needed something new. She joined her friend, British shot putter Sophie McKinna, for a brief training camp in England under McKinna’s coach, Paul Wilson of the City of York Athletic Club. And it all clicked — shortly after her visit, Ealey made the decision to leave her former training group, Desert High Performance, and relocate from Arizona to the UK. She found an environment that helped her start over.
“I just think I needed a reset after I got sick last year,” Ealey said. “And I'm just a lot happier and more content, and I think it's resulted in more efficient training.”
Wilson helped Ealey adjust her throwing entry and encouraged her to stay balanced as she rotated in the ring. The change made a big difference, and Ealey went from only hitting 19 metres on a good day to consistently throwing over 20 metres in each competition. This time around, she’s heading to the international stage with more confidence.
“When my state of mind got better, I was more trainable and just in a better position to keep succeeding,” Ealey said with a small laugh. “I feel like I'm just getting started.”
Madeline Ryan for World Athletics
