May 9, 2019
Newport, RI
USATF New England
Ian Hall Throws Himself on to the World Stage
USATF New England names Ian Hall of Newport, RI as our 2019 April Athlete of the Month! Ian earns this award after a monster javelin toss of 211 feet 5 inches at the Penn Relays this past April 25th- 27th. This throw puts him as # 2 on the US High School best list, and # 4 in the world in U18, via I.A.A.F rankings for 2019. Ian mentions that he has been working on his technique, particularly aiming to keep his throwing arm higher towards the end of the toss. By addressing his technique and keeping up the hard work, Ian believes he can best the USA U18 record of (224'1") in the coming months of competition. On his calendar are the National Scholastic Outdoor Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, the 2019 USATF U20 Championships in Florida, and hopefully the PanAm Games in Costa Rica.
Outside of the track and field world, Ian is an AP scholar and an avid music fan. Regardless of how his day turns out, Ian believes, “At the end of the day, its all about music.”
Full Interview
1) Could you tell me a bit about your throw at the Penn Relays? Could you tell me a bit about your mindset heading into the event, i.e, what you were hoping to accomplish and any goals you had set for yourself?
My final-round throw of 211 feet, 5 inches felt really great, especially after I threw 205 feet in round three. There were a few small things I could have done to make that throw farther, and I've been working on getting the entire approach aspect better since Penn Relays. I was determined to improve my (March 29th) Texas Relays throw of 194'5" and I did. The biggest thing is keeping my throwing arm high during the final stage of the throw. I managed to do that better two days after Penn, and improved my personal best to 212 feet, 4 inches." The best part of my recent distances at Penn and here in Rhode Island during late April is that my marks were strong enough to place me #2 USA in high schools, and #4 on the IAAF World U18 ranking list.
2) What is your favorite event to compete in?
While javelin is my primary event, I have earned measured success in the shot put, an event I have been working on over the past winter, with a recent best of 51 feet, 7 inches. That was far enough to allow me to compete at the 2019 National Scholastic Indoor National Championships in New York City.
3) What are some of your favorite things to do outside of running?
Among the AP courses I take, I'm enrolled in Academy of Information Technology, and studying this course takes up a lot of my time. At the end of the day, it's all about music.
4) What’s up next for you? Any events on the horizon that you will be throwing or competing in?
My key focus as I enter the Rhode Island and New England high school championships season is fine-tuning my approach so I can continue to improve my distances. This year will be my second trip to the National Scholastic Outdoor Championships at Greensboro, North Carolina, in June, and the week following that is the 2019 USA Track & Field U20 Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Miramar, Florida, where I will compete to win one of two spots on Team USA for the 2019 PanAm U20 Championships in July in Costa Rica.
Questions/Comments to communications@newengland.usatf.org