Danny Giuliani gives Maine a big shot

By Mary Albl for DyeStat

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine  --  Track coach Dave Kahill in the distance holding his camera, ready to take pictures of South Portland junior Danny Guiliani in the shot put ring.

"I moved back a couple feet and made sure I was out of range when he threw," Kahill said. "And he threw to almost where I was."

Kahill was about 70 feet away. Guiliani, at that April 22 meet, unleashed not only a new personal best throw of 65 feet, 6 inches, but smashed the all-time Maine record of 60-6.25 set in 2008 from Dan Smith of Thornton Academy. 

“It was almost unbelievable, but he has thrown that far in practice,” Kahill said. 

Guiliani currently ranks fourth in the nation after just one competition this spring. CURRENT NATIONAL RANKINGS

“I felt very comfortable and relaxed,” Guiliani said of his record throw. “My feeling toward the whole thing is I feel accomplished. It makes me want to work harder. It drives me.”

Guiliani is also a football player who rates the two sports equally as favorites.

“I think it’s equal, I don’t have a favorite. It’s hard to say which one … I love both of them,” he said. “I work just as hard when it’s football season as I do when it’s track season.”

The six-foot-three Guiliani, who stars on both the offense and defensive line, said he grew up with dreams of one day playing football in college. 

But those dreams have shifted to the track as his success in throwing has taken off. 

“I always thought this conversation would be about football,” Guiliani said. “But this is the road I actually want to take. I’ve taken this sport to a whole other level and I have big dreams when it comes to throwing.”

Guiliani picked up the shot put in middle school as something to do to fill the time in between football seasons.  But it wasn’t until he got to high school when he started to take throwing seriously and began to see his potential.

“Overall his development and improvement in the shot put has been relatively linear,” Kahill said. “In every season indoor and outdoor he’s improved.” 

Guiliani’s sophomore season was when he really started to take off as he stepped up his strength and conditioning and honed in on the technical aspect of the sport. Guiliani finished his sophomore outdoor season as the Maine Class A champion (53-6).

Kahill explained over the summer Guiliani worked on moving from the glide to the spin, which he called an “astonishingly fast” transition.

“It’s typical for him to have a two hour practice at our school and then afterward see him in a random field in the city, and he’s practicing an hour on his own,” Kahill said. 

Guiliani, who set the indoor all-time Maine best throw at 62-4 this past winter, said spending the extra time perfecting his craft has become a habit he can’t break.

“Ever since that day my dad bought me a shot put I couldn’t stop,” he said. “It’s come to a point now where I don’t even look at it as hard work, I just enjoy it.” 

It’s that same drive and dedication that has pushed him to record-breaking marks and national attention.

As far as the next step, Guiliani said he knows what he needs to work on to improve. 

“The timing of my release, staying low and definitely getting more speed and drive throughout the circle,” he said.

For the thrower who Kahill calls soft-spoken, team-oriented and enthusiastic about the sport, the potential is still very much untapped. 

“I’m excited to see what the end of the season looks like,” Guiliani said.