Fleetwood grad Morgan Shigo advances to hammer throw finals at U.S. Olympic Trials

Jun. 19—Morgan Shigo has advanced to the finals in the hammer throw at the United States Olympic Team Trials for track and field.

The Fleetwood grad's best throw was 74.39 meters, which ranked fourth among the 24 competitors at Eugene, Ore., Friday.

Rudy Winkler was the top qualifier at 79.13 meters. He's followed by Daniel Haugh at 77.43 and Alex Young at 77.09. The top 12 will compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team when the event resumes Sunday at 7:25 p.m.

Shigo was a District 3 Class 3A champion and PIAA runner-up in the shot put as a senior at Fleetwood in 2014.

The transition to the hammer throw came while Shigo was at Penn State. When the Olympic trials were pushed back a year because of COVID-19, Shigo was given more time to chase his dream.

"The past two years I thought maybe this is something I can actually have a shot at and really pursue," Shigo told the Reading Eagle in April 2020. "I made the decision to push off the real world for a year and see what I could do. I think I made the right decision."

To qualify for the Olympics, Shigo must finish in the top three with a throw of at least 77.50 meters. His personal-best is 75.83.