Tom Pukstys
 Pukstys in 2019 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Paul Pukstys |
| National team |  United States |
| Born | (1968-05-28) May 28, 1968 (age 55) Glen Ellyn, Illinois |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 216 lb (98 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Track and field |
| Event | Javelin throw |
| College team | College of DuPage University of Florida |
Thomas Paul Pukstys (born May 28, 1968) is a former American track and field athlete who was a javelin thrower. Pukstys was a six-time U.S. javelin champion, and represented the United States at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.
Biography
Pukstys parents came to the U.S. from Lithuania in 1949. He was born in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. He graduated from Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills, Illinois. His older brother Andrew was attending medical school in Lithuania, and returned home with a gift for Pukstys: a javelin. Thereafter, Pukstys quit the high school baseball team, and went out for the track team, throwing the javelin 155 feet in his first track meet.
For his first two years as an undergraduate, Pukstys enrolled in the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, and was a member of the DuPage Chaparrals track and field team. After his sophomore year, he accepted an athletic scholarship to transfer to the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he was a member of the Florida Gators track and field team. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in public relations in 1992.
Pukstys broke his first American record in June 1993. His personal best was a throw of 87.12 meters in 1997.
Pusktys was an assistant track and field coach for the U.S. Olympic team that competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Seasonal bests by year
- 1987 - 71.34
- 1988 - 75.72
- 1989 - 74.82
- 1990 - 83.30
- 1991 - 81.68
- 1992 - 83.20
- 1993 - 85.70
- 1994 - 82.32
- 1995 - 84.50
- 1996 - 86.82
- 1997 - 87.12
- 1998 - 85.06
- 1999 - 84.11
- 2000 - 84.25
- 2001 - 79.48
- 2003 - 79.31
- 2004 - 78.85
Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 26th | 74.72 m |
| 1992 | Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | 10th | 76.72 m |
| 1993 | World Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | 9th | 77.92 m |
| 1995 | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 19th | 76.12 m |
| 1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | 8th | 83.58 m |
| 1997 | World Championships | Athens, Greece | 15th | 78.64 m |
| IAAF Grand Prix Final | Fukuoka, Japan | 4th | 85.68 m | |
| 1998 | Goodwill Games | Uniondale, New York, United States | 2nd | 79.86 m |
| 1999 | World Championships | Seville, Spain | — | DNS |
| 2001 | World Championships | Edmonton, Canada | 20th | 78.10 m |
See also
Biography portal
Olympics portal
References
- Tom Pukstys at World Athletics
- USATF Profile
- Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Tom Pukstys". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
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US National Championship winners in men's javelin throw
Amateur Athletic Union
- 1909: Ralph Rose
- 1910: Bruno Brodd
- 1911: Ollie Snedigar
- 1912: Harry Lott
- 1913: Bruno Brodd
- 1914–19: George Bronder
- 1920–21: Milton Angier
- 1922: Flint Hanner
- 1923: Harry Hoffman
- 1924: John Leyden
- 1925: Zeke Bonura
- 1926: John Kuck
- 1927: Charles Harlow
- 1928: Creth Hines
- 1929: Jess Mortensen
- 1930–31: James DeMers
- 1932: Malcolm MetcalfNote
- 1933: Lee Bartlett
- 1934: Ralston LeGore
- 1935: Horace Odell
- 1936: John Mottram
- 1937: William Reitz
- 1938: Nick Vukmanic
- 1939–42: Boyd Brown
- 1943–44: Martin Biles
- 1945: Earl Marshall
- 1946: Garland Adair
- 1947–48: Steve Seymour
- 1949: Bud Held
- 1950: Steve Seymour
- 1951: Bud Held
- 1952: Bill Miller
- 1953–55: Bud Held
- 1956: Cy Young
- 1957: Bob Voiles
- 1958: Bud Held
- 1959–60: Al Cantello
- 1961: John Fromm
- 1962: Dan Studney
- 1963: Larry Stuart
- 1964: Frank Covelli
- 1965: Bill Floerke
- 1966: John Tushaus
- 1967: Delmon McNabb
- 1968: Frank Covelli
- 1969: Mark Murro
- 1970–71: Bill Skinner
- 1972: Fred Luke
- 1973: Cary Feldmann
- 1974: Sam Colson
- 1975: Richard George
- 1976: Fred Luke
- 1977: Bruce Kennedy
- 1978: Bill Schmidt
- 1979: Duncan Atwood
The Athletics Congress
- 1980: Duncan Atwood
- 1981: Bruce Kennedy
- 1982: Bob Roggy
- 1983: Rod Ewaliko
- 1984: Curt Ransford
- 1985–86: Tom Petranoff
- 1987: Duncan Atwood
- 1988: Dave Stephens
- 1989: Mike Barnett
- 1990: Vince Labosky
- 1991: Mike Barnett
- 1992: Tom Pukstys
USA Track & Field
- 1993: Tom Pukstys
- 1994: Todd Riech
- 1995: Tom Pukstys
- 1996: Todd Riech
- 1997–99: Tom Pukstys
- 2000–07: Breaux Greer
- 2008: Bobby Smith
- 2009: Chris Hill
- 2010: Sean Furey
- 2011: Mike Hazle
- 2012: Sam Humphreys
- 2013: Riley Dolezal
- 2014–15: Sean Furey
- 2016: Cyrus Hostetler
- 2017: Riley Dolezal
- 2018: Curtis Thompson
- 2019: Michael Shuey
- 20212020 OT: Curtis Thompson
- The 1920, 1928, 1932, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.
- 2020 OT: The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Kenneth Churchill had the longest throw in the 1932 competition (which doubled as the Olympic Trials), ahead of Malcolm Metcalf. However, Churchill qualified for the final only due to a late rule change by the U.S. Olympic Committee, allowing eight rather than five finalists. As this rule change applied only to the Olympic Trials, Churchill is considered to have won at the Trials and Metcalf at the national championships, even though they were the same meet.
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