Former Bulldog Williamson to Compete in U.S. Olympic Trials
6/17/2021 10:07:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Capers Williamson, a former cadet-athlete at The Citadel from 2010-16, has qualified in the javelin throw for the U.S. Olympic Trials set to be held at the University of Oregon's Heyward Field in Eugene, Ore. The qualifying heats of the event will be held at approximately 5:15 p.m. (ET) on Saturday afternoon with the final set for Monday evening at 7:15 p.m. (ET).
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As of Thursday morning, Williamson is one of 17 athletes who has met the qualifying standard of 246-0 (75.00m) in the javelin throw, with his throw of 253-0 (77.11m) ranking seventh among those who have officially qualified. Williamson's top mark while at The Citadel was 239-4 (72.95m) at the 2016 Southern Conference Outdoor Championships, and that throw remains the current school record more than five years later.
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From Saturday's preliminary round, the top 12 throwers will advance to Monday's finals, with the top three finishers advancing to the 2021 Olympic Games hosted in Tokyo, Japan. The Games, originally set to be hosted last summer, were postponed for one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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An "accidental" track athlete, Williamson began his career at The Citadel on the football squad in 2010. A quarterback in high school at Wade Hampton in Greenville, S.C., Williamson was converted first to a wide receiver and then to a tight end in The Citadel's triple option system before catching the eye of the Bulldogs' track and field staff who saw his potential as a thrower.
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In his first season with the track and field team in 2012-13, Williamson dabbled in the high jump, logging a second-place finish at the Gamecock Indoor Invitational and placing sixth at the Battle of the Beaches, but his true talent shined during the outdoor season in the javelin throw. Despite the event not being sponsored by high school track and field in South Carolina and having limited experience in the event, Williamson earned the silver medal at the 2013 SoCon Championships after a throw of 182-7 (55.65m), setting the stage for the remainder of his successful career.
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Another second-place finish at the SoCon Championships in 2014 left Williamson looking for even more in the event, and that came in a record-shattering performance at the 2015 edition as he finally claimed his first gold medal in the javelin throw, shattering the previous record for both The Citadel and the SoCon with a toss of 219-5 (66.87m).
The next year saw his collegiate-best throw en route to another gold medal as Williamson became only the second cadet-athlete in The Citadel's history to finish in the top two of the javelin throw on four different occasions, joining assistant coach Kris Kut.
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Although Williamson never reached the NCAA Outdoor Championships in his collegiate career, his journey in the javelin throw was not complete. The former Bulldog competed in the 2016 Olympic Trials ahead of the Rio de Janeiro Games, advancing out of the preliminary heats by claiming the 12th and final qualifying spot for the finals.
On the biggest stage of his career to that point, Williamson placed eighth in the finals; while not enough to qualify for the Olympic Games, he was the third-best finisher among those affiliated with a university behind Mississippi State's Curtis Thompson and Cornell's Rob Robbins.
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From his very first javelin throw competition on March 3, 2013, Williamson has increased his personal-best throw from 146-6 (44.65m) to his current qualifying mark of 253-0 (77.11m), throwing more than 100 feet further just over eight years later. The accidental star, who took up the javelin as an afterthought, has proven himself to be among the very best that the United States has to offer in the event.
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Now in his second opportunity at the Olympic Trials, Williamson is set to put those last eight years of experience to the test as he attempts to reach arguably the grandest stage in all of athletics. With a strong performance in Eugene, the Greer, S.C., native would be set to represent himself, The Citadel and the United States on the world stage only eight years after picking up the javelin in competition for the first time.
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As of Thursday morning, Williamson is one of 17 athletes who has met the qualifying standard of 246-0 (75.00m) in the javelin throw, with his throw of 253-0 (77.11m) ranking seventh among those who have officially qualified. Williamson's top mark while at The Citadel was 239-4 (72.95m) at the 2016 Southern Conference Outdoor Championships, and that throw remains the current school record more than five years later.
Â
From Saturday's preliminary round, the top 12 throwers will advance to Monday's finals, with the top three finishers advancing to the 2021 Olympic Games hosted in Tokyo, Japan. The Games, originally set to be hosted last summer, were postponed for one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Â
An "accidental" track athlete, Williamson began his career at The Citadel on the football squad in 2010. A quarterback in high school at Wade Hampton in Greenville, S.C., Williamson was converted first to a wide receiver and then to a tight end in The Citadel's triple option system before catching the eye of the Bulldogs' track and field staff who saw his potential as a thrower.
Â
In his first season with the track and field team in 2012-13, Williamson dabbled in the high jump, logging a second-place finish at the Gamecock Indoor Invitational and placing sixth at the Battle of the Beaches, but his true talent shined during the outdoor season in the javelin throw. Despite the event not being sponsored by high school track and field in South Carolina and having limited experience in the event, Williamson earned the silver medal at the 2013 SoCon Championships after a throw of 182-7 (55.65m), setting the stage for the remainder of his successful career.
Â
Another second-place finish at the SoCon Championships in 2014 left Williamson looking for even more in the event, and that came in a record-shattering performance at the 2015 edition as he finally claimed his first gold medal in the javelin throw, shattering the previous record for both The Citadel and the SoCon with a toss of 219-5 (66.87m).
The next year saw his collegiate-best throw en route to another gold medal as Williamson became only the second cadet-athlete in The Citadel's history to finish in the top two of the javelin throw on four different occasions, joining assistant coach Kris Kut.
Â
Although Williamson never reached the NCAA Outdoor Championships in his collegiate career, his journey in the javelin throw was not complete. The former Bulldog competed in the 2016 Olympic Trials ahead of the Rio de Janeiro Games, advancing out of the preliminary heats by claiming the 12th and final qualifying spot for the finals.
On the biggest stage of his career to that point, Williamson placed eighth in the finals; while not enough to qualify for the Olympic Games, he was the third-best finisher among those affiliated with a university behind Mississippi State's Curtis Thompson and Cornell's Rob Robbins.
Â
From his very first javelin throw competition on March 3, 2013, Williamson has increased his personal-best throw from 146-6 (44.65m) to his current qualifying mark of 253-0 (77.11m), throwing more than 100 feet further just over eight years later. The accidental star, who took up the javelin as an afterthought, has proven himself to be among the very best that the United States has to offer in the event.
Â
Now in his second opportunity at the Olympic Trials, Williamson is set to put those last eight years of experience to the test as he attempts to reach arguably the grandest stage in all of athletics. With a strong performance in Eugene, the Greer, S.C., native would be set to represent himself, The Citadel and the United States on the world stage only eight years after picking up the javelin in competition for the first time.
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