Versatile Blackburn to throw javelin at USATF Championships
Paige Blackburn
The 25-year-old First Lieutenant will compete in the women’s javelin tonight at the USATF Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
She is one of three Alaskans to compete this weekend. Janay DeLoach Soukup of Fairbanks is in Saturday’s long jump and Anchorage’s Jordan Clarke is in Sunday’s shot put.
Earlier this year Blackburn was accepted into the World Class Athletes Program and moved to Florida, where she could train exclusively for major competitions around the world.
In addition to the javelin, Blackburn is strong in the discus.
The 2008 Soldotna High grad in April won a discus competition at the Florida Relays. She won the gold on her sixth and final attempt.
Blackburn is a veteran in the javelin, having competed at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. She was 22nd that year. She won the Mountain West Conference title in the javelin at Air Force.
The top three finishers at the USATF Championships can punch their ticket to the World Championships in China in August.