John Carl Godina (born May 31, 1972) is an American shot putter, whose record includes three World Championship wins and two Olympic medals. He also competes in discus. Godina was born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | May 31, 1972 (1972-05-31) (age 50) Fort Sill, Oklahoma, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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While attending Cheyenne Central High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Godina was a letterman in football and outdoor track and field. He was an All-State honoree, and an All-American in both sports.
At college level, competing for UCLA, he won three outdoor NCAA championship victories, two in discus and one in shot put. His 1995 NCAA Outdoor shot put title was a national record with a throw of 22.00 meters (72'2.25"). In 1995, he won his first World Championship title in shot put, adding additional titles in 1997, and 2001. In the same discipline, he finished second in the 1996 Olympics and third in the 2000 Olympics. He also qualified to those same Olympics in the Discus, the first American to qualify in both since Bud Houser in 1924[1] and he finished 8th in the 2004 Olympics in the Shot Put.[2] He retired in 2009 after suffering through injuries at the 2008 Olympic Trials.[1]
Godina is one of the most decorated shot putters in U.S. athletics history. His legacy compares well with Parry O'Brien, who won two Olympic gold medals (1952, 1956) and one silver medal (1960), placed fourth in the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, and broke the world record 17 times. He was coached by Art Venegas, widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the world and the only coach to have athletes reach 73' with both the glide and rotational techniques in the shot put.
Godina was named to the Mt. SAC Relays Hall of Fame in 2010. His coach Art Venegas was named to the Hall in 2011.[3] He was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.
John has a throwing academy in five different locations, two in California (Sacramento and San Ramon). The other three are located in Arizona (Phoenix, Mesa and Glendale).[4]
Godina trains top international athletes like Vikas Gowda, Suzy Powell and Dan Taylor.[5]
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
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Representing the ![]() | |||||
1990 | World Junior Championships | Plovdiv, Bulgaria | 20th (q) | Discus | 40.88 m |
1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 2nd | Shot put | 20.79 m |
1997 | IAAF Grand Prix Final | Fukuoka, Japan | 3rd | Discus | 65.56 m |
2001 | World Championships | Edmonton, Canada | 1st | Shot put | 21.87 m |
2004 | Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | 9th | Shot put | 20.19 m |
World Athletics Championships champions in men's shot put | |
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World Indoor Champions in men's shot put | |
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IAAF World / Continental Cup champions in men's shot put | |
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World best year performance in men's shot put | |
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US National Championship winners in men's shot put | |
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1876–1878 New York Athletic Club |
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1879–1888 NAAAA |
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1888–1979 Amateur Athletic Union |
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1980–1992 The Athletics Congress |
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1993–onwards USA Track & Field |
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Notes |
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US National Championship winners in men's discus throw | |
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1897-1979 Amateur Athletic Union |
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1980-1992 The Athletics Congress |
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1993-onwards USA Track & Field |
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Notes |
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1996 USA Olympic track and field team | ||
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Qualification | 1996 United States Olympic Trials (track and field) | ![]() |
Men's track and road athletes |
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Men's field athletes |
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Women's track and road athletes |
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Women's field athletes |
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Coaches | — |
2000 USA Olympic track and field team | ||
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Qualification |
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Men's track and road athletes |
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Men's field athletes |
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Women's track and road athletes |
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Women's field athletes |
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Coaches |
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2004 USA Olympic track and field team | ||
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Qualification | 2004 United States Olympic Trials (track and field) | ![]() |
Men's track and road athletes |
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Men's field athletes |
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Women's track and road athletes |
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Women's field athletes |
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Coaches | — |