Comenentia becomes only third male athlete to win hammer throw and shot put titles in the same year, first in a decade to give Bulldogs early lead in competitive team race

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

EUGENE – In his third year of trying to make his way to the top of the NCAA throwing mountain, Georgia junior Denzel Comenentia finally hit the jackpot – twice.

Comenentia broke his own national record – he’s from The Netherlands – on his fifth-round throw of 250 feet, 8 inches (76.41m) in the hammer competition to solidify his first title of the day at Hayward Field.

Within hours, he had another one, after Comenentia threw 67-7.50 (20.61m) on his fifth-round throw in the shot put.
At that specific moment, after the shot hit the ground, Comementia threw up his arms, let out a howl and celebrated around the sector.

“A couple of throws before I was just trying to find my rhythm and on the fifth throw, everything fell into place at the right time,” he said. “It felt good, and on my scream, you could tell I was happy.”

Comenentia became only the third male athlete to win the NCAA hammer-shot double, joining Kansas’ Elwyn Dees in 1935 and Cory Martin of Auburn in 2008, helping Georgia grab a 20-18 advantage over Mississippi State after the first day of men’s competition.

“That was a historic day for our program and Denzel,” Georgia coach Petros Kyprianou said. “I’m so excited for him and the way he has stepped in to help lead his team to 20 points. I told him last night that he’s overdue for something special after finishing second a few times. He’s very special and deserves this more than anyone out there.

“He set the tone for the rest of our team to hopefully carry this momentum. The combo of shot and hammer is not an easy task, but if there was anyone out there that could do it, it’s Denzel. I’m very proud of him.”

To win the hammer, Comenentia had to defeat reigning champion Rudy Winkler, a 2016 U.S. Olympian.

“I knew it was going to be a dogfight, but I came here to win,” he said. “I’ve had a good season overall.”

Winkler has undergone significant changes in the past 12 months, moving to a graduate program at Rutgers University after completing his undergrad work at Cornell.

Winkler was not able to connect the elements of his throw to his satisfaction and finished fourth on Wednesday with 238-8 (72.74) – about five feet shorter than last year. He was 40 inches out of second place.

“It’s been difficult,” Winkler said of the transition from one school to another. “I have more resources, which is great, but it’s still taken time to get comfortable with (a new) lifestyle and things like that.”

Freshman Jake Norris from LSU popped a big throw in the first flight of 73.24 (20.43m), which also improved on his own British U20 record, and it held up for third place.

Florida’s Anders Eriksson made a big improvement in the sixth round to move from seventh to second with 242-0 (73.76m). Eriksson’s points were important because he was one of three Gators to score – along with freshman Thomas Mardal in seventh and junior AJ McFarland taking eighth – and the team put 11 big points on the board.

Those throws pushed Winkler down to fourth.

“I felt really good physically today, I felt good mentally,” Winkler said. “I just didn’t have the mojo that I usually have.”

It might not have been enough to beat Comenentia anyway. He improved on his mark as the No. 10 performer on the all-time collegiate list and elevated to 14th in the world this year.

“It’s a hard feeling to describe, but I just knew it was going,” he said of the big throw. “The fifth throw lined up perfectly and it just went far.”

Hours later, Comenentia was sitting sixth through four rounds.

But the fifth time was a charm yet again. Comenentia rocketed to top of the standings – and then held on, despite fouling in the sixth round. It marked the second year in a row a male athlete won a pair of NCAA outdoor titles in the throwing events, following Virginia’s Filip Mihaljevic prevailing in the discus and shot put last season.

South Carolina’s Josh Awotunde landed a big throw at 67-6 (20.57m) in the sixth round. It moved him from seventh to second, but it was four centimeters short of the lead. Colorado State senior Mostafa Hassan, a two-time indoor champion, couldn’t mount a rally after leading through the first four rounds and placed third at 67-0.75 (20.44m), his third consecutive top-three outdoor finish.