Throw out wait with Nelson
Adam Nelson is among the more theatrical shotput competitors, playing to the crowd on his way into the ring, exhorting the fans to cheer him on.
But Nelson does not have a good sense of drama. His goal is to put an end to things just as they start, his opening attempt the showstopper, as he did in winning the World Outdoor Championships in Helsinki with a throw of 21.73 meters (71 feet 3 1/2 inches) last year.
''It establishes control, I think more than anything else," Nelson said in a conference call Wednesday. ''If you can get a big throw off in your first round, that establishes you as the definite leader and a contender for the gold medal, or whatever the victory is for that day. Everybody ends up chasing you and it's much easier to set the tone than to chase after somebody else.
''[In Helsinki] I wanted to nail the first throw. The weather was changing rapidly and I felt it was the most important throw of the competition. If I nail this first throw, it's over. I nailed it and it was a good throw for me, and if it's a good throw for me chances are it would be good enough to win. I've always believed that if I'm in shape to throw a solid throw or a personal or seasonal best, then chances are nobody's going to be able to compete with me at that point."
Nelson will be attempting to wrap things up quickly in the Reebok Boston Indoor Games tomorrow at the Reggie Lewis Center. His rivals will include Christian Cantwell, John Godina, and Reese Hoffa, all ranked in the top 10 in the world.
''I've got some big goals for this indoor season," Nelson said. ''One is to be ready for the indoor worlds and make that team, and two is to set a personal best indoors and I think right now I'm in shape to do that, and I think the indoor world record is within an arm's distance, within grasp, if I'm in that kind of shape."
Nelson, who attended Dartmouth and took acting lessons in New York, has not always followed his script, though.
Nelson waited until the final attempt of the 2000 Olympic Trials to throw 72-7, earning a No. 1 ranking for the year.
In the 2004 Olympics, Nelson's opening toss of 21.16 meters (69-5 1/4) held up as the longest distance until Ukraine's Yuriy Bilonog matched it on his final attempt, and Bilonog was declared the leader because of his second-longest try. Nelson, who had no legal second mark, concluded the day with another long throw but fouled and finished second, his second successive Olympic silver medal.
Runner-up finishes were characterizing Nelson's career until last year. He earned No. 1 rankings in 2000 and 2002, but was second in the NCAA finals in 1998, the US Outdoor finals in 2001 and '05, and the 2001 World Indoor and Outdoor finals. He was third at the US Outdoors in 1998 and US Indoors in 2003 and '05.
''It did mean quite a lot to me, I'm not going to lie," Nelson said of winning the world title. ''To me, maintaining the lead at a world-class level of competition is very important.
''But the medals are what people remember when they think about the sport and your legacy. There's nothing worse than being remembered as the guy that could have done it, or should have done it, but never did. I think that weighs heavy on many people when they find themselves in that position, and it ends up affecting them the rest of their lives.
''I guess I never really thought about it that way until that moment when after it happened and I thought, wow, this really solidifies or validates a lot of the sacrifices that I've made to get to this point. It was a tremendous feeling, totally overwhelming. It's empowering me to push farther and harder into the future."
