Tom Petranoff targets another Olympic Games

Note: A shorter version of this appeared in Athletics Weekly on November 10, 1999

By Ken Stone

Tom Petranoff takes delight in sticking it to authority. And his tongue is as sharp as the javelin he twice threw to world records.

In 1988, for example, when he learned he had to pay U.S. track officials a $100 protest fee to gain late entry to the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. Indiana, he told a reporter: "I'd pay $100 to put a frontal lobotomy on these guys."

Later that year, when warned that he faced a lifetime ban by leading a California athletes tour to pariah state South Africa, Petranoff famously said of U.S. track officials: "They can go to hell."

By that time, Petranoff had been through a hell of his own.

Three times an Olympian (including the no-go Moscow team) but with only a 10th-place finish in Los Angeles (when he was a favorite) to show for it, Petranoff would come to label himself a "choke" and "the most inconsistent javelin-thrower in the world."

He failed to make the finals in Barcelona, and after moving his family to South Africa in 1989 and becoming a citizen there in 1992, he found himself again paying for the sins of his "rebel" tour -- he was excluded from the South African Olympic team despite holding the national javelin record. He called it "reverse racism."

In 1996, a "retired" Petranoff led another athletes tour -- this time to Atlanta. But his South African Para-Olympic team -- trained in just 18 months -- had far more success. Of the 40 disabled athletes that competed, 28 won medals. In the throwing events, a dozen athletes coached by Petranoff (pronounced pa-TRON-off) collected six gold medals, four silvers, two bronze -- and one world record in the javelin.

Now 2000 beckons.

Petranoff turns 42 in April. He has returned to the United States (and the good graces of USATF), established a home in Rhode Island for his wife and four daughters, and brought out of Africa a company he started that markets a plastic practice javelin he helped design.

And, oh yes -- he's made a stunning comeback in the spear game.

In 1998, he won the USATF veterans championship with a 76.20. This year, he took second in the USATF open nationals with a toss of 75.21 and a few weeks later was third behind two Cubans in the Pan American Games at Winnipeg, Manitoba, throwing 75.95. His post-40 best is 76.91, thrown in June at the Record Invitational at Kitchener, Ontario. All are far short of the WR 99.72 he accomplished in 1983 with the “old" jav or his 89.16 best with the new stick eight years ago in Potchefstroom, South Africa. Or even the expected Olympic qualifying "A" standard of 82.

But with a goal of getting his weight down and strength up, Petranoff stands a fighting chance of becoming the first athlete to win a gold medal in the World Veterans Athletic Championships one year (73.72 at 1999 Gateshead) and competing in the Olympics the next.

And fortunately for veterans track, he pointedly refuses to accept conventional wisdom and hang up his spikes when his “elite” days are past.

A conversation with Athletics Weekly:

Athletics Weekly: When did your comeback formally start?

Tom Petranoff: While living in South Africa, I attended the (1997 world) WAVA competition (in Durban) as a retailer. I sold my product, the Turbo Jav, and gave javelin development classes to masters athletes.

I met so many wonderful people, both men and women. And their integrity, drive and focus made me realize that I also wanted to be part of the masters program. Upon returning to the United States in December 1997, I decided to compete at the masters level. I did not really train in 1998, but knew that my past development would carry me through -- my motor memory. I knew that all my past training would allow me to be able to throw at least 250 feet (76.20). I was actually disappointed that I did not throw further.

AW: How is training for masters different from your open days?

TP: The training for masters is much different because I (used to focus) my whole (being) around training. Now I have a family and business that comes first.

AW: What kinds of weights are you lifting now?

TP: I am doing general weight lifting -- squats, cleans, pullovers, back jerks, incline, leg presses -- two or three times a week and specific weight lifting two or three times a week, exercises closely related to the throw.

AW: Have you had to deal with any injuries in your masters comeback?

TP: No, but I do know that my body does not handle the workouts as easily as they once did.

AW: If USA track authorities hadn't forced you to move to South Africa, what marks would you have attained in America during those years?

TP: At the time, I was burned out. I had made the top 10 in the world for eight years and was tired of the training and travel. But when I arrived in South Africa, I was totally rejuvenated because I was a new face on the scene and at that time athletics was very well-supported. I don't think that I would have continued competing at such an elite level had I stayed in the United States.

AW: What are the reactions of the youngsters when you compete at USA nationals and Pan Am Games?

TP: Wonderful. They are so respectful and interested -- not only in me, but javelin development in particular. The javelin community is very small and does not have up-to-date information on training. I get many requests every day over the Net and I try very hard to provide information for those requests. Throwers will be able to reach me at starting in November 1999.

AW: Is Turbo Jav your main occupation now?

TP: Turbo Jav and javelin development are certainly my main occupation. I have set up javelin development in many countries around the world that I am very proud of -- Australia, Finland, Japan and several cities in the USA. I also consult for M-F Athletic Company, the world's largest track & field catalog company. M-F with its range of products and work ethics is something I am very proud to be part of.

AW: What's your weight now, and what are you shooting for?

TP: My weight is 242 (109.75 kg) and I am shooting for 225 (102 kg).

AW: Anyone coaching you or overseeing your workouts? Where do you train?

TP: No one is coaching me. I have several people that I work out with, but the most interesting is my daughter Shannon. She is 15 years old, 6 feet 2 (1.88m) tall, an honor roll student in 10th grade. Last year as a freshman she competed for her school in the javelin. She started throwing 80 feet (24.38m) and then progressed to 115 (35.06), came in fourth for the state of Rhode Island and 10th overall for New England. Just watching her and training with her is an inspiration to me. I train at my daughter's high school, a local gym and my home in Cranston.

AW: How do your wife and kids react to your Sydney goal -- and recent success?

TP: My wife is having a bit of a hard time with my training, because she has been involved with this for over 20 years. The kids, the business and other things carry a higher priority with her. But my kids are very enthusiastic and I hope to share one last experience with them at an age when they can appreciate it. They were all far too young to be part of it before. They have enjoyed my recent success. My children are Shannon (15), Whitney (13), Leigh (10) and Kelly (7). My lesson to them is that if I can do it, anyone can do it.

AW: Many Olympians and former world-class athletes have no interest in -- or are shamed by the thought of -- masters competition. Why?

TP: I can't speak for other Olympians and elite athletes, but I can only assume that the reason that they are not interested in competing they have competed at such an elite level for so long (that) they are not interested at competing at any level and that the idea of training to compete at any level both physically and mentally does not interest them.

AW: Even if you again finish in the top 3 in USA, the Olympic qualifier is about 82 meters. When was the last time you threw that far, and what are your chances of getting it again?

TP: I threw that far in July 1993. I believe I can throw that far again, but it will take a lot of work. I know a lot of people don't think that I can reach that kind of level again, but we will never know if I don't try. I have always been told "you can't, you won't and never will" -- and that is the very fuel for me to prove to people that I can. I'm not in this for money anymore and I'm having fun. That's what is most important.

Note: The javelin finals at the U.S. Olympic Trials are on July 20, 2000.

KEN STONE photo

Petranoff throws at 1999 World Veterans Athletic Championships in Gateshead, England