Dylan Armstrong buries aggression for shot put

With a Canadian record throw of 20.92m in Belgrade on May 29 Dylan Armstrong established his credentials as an outside medal possibility in the mens Olympic shot put competition.

The mark eclipsed his own national standard of 20.87 but more importantly demonstrated a remarkable progression that athletes need at the highest level. It was his fourth competition this season in which he threw over 20.57m. Armstrong, who lives and trains in Kamloops, B.C., knows he is capable of more and what he must do to achieve Olympic success.

"I have been throwing over 21m in practice," he reveals, "For me its controlled aggression. I just cant get in a ring and just go crazy. A lot of people would think that is what shot put is all about but its pretty individualized. Its about what works for you.

"I have to control my aggression and when I do thats when I throw far. I cant get into a ring with football mentality or like I am getting ready to fight somebody. I have to relax and focus on my technique and be patient."

Armstrong is ranked 10th in the world, behind five Americans. Of course, only three per country are permitted. He believes a throw of 21.50m can earn a medal.

Big bang

"If you look back over the years the medal throws have been in that range," he says. "Actually in 2004 they weren't as high as that --21.17m won it. You know, every year is different and you have to prepare yourself to do your best. I have done everything to prepare for this. Id like to go into Beijing with a big bang."

Under the guidance of legendary coach Anotoliy Bondarchuk, the 1972 Olympic champion in the hammer throw, Armstrong has been training without a real break through all his competitions this season. Twice a day sessions with a two-hour nap and lunch in between are customary. As the Olympics approach he will reduce the training so he can be at his peak in Beijing.

By his own admission Armstrong leads a quiet life free of distractions, all with the Olympic dream in mind. Asked what he has sacrificed he thinks for a moment.

"I love boating, going out to the lake," he says. "All that kind of stuff. Going out for dinners and lots of things. Going camping, hunting and fishing like a lot of my buddies do. I make time for that at the end of the season, but during the season I stay pretty focused. But at the end there are rewards for doing that."

After the season ended last year with a Pan Am gold medal and a strong 9th place finish at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka he went moose hunting with his father.

Remarkable journey

It has been a remarkable journey for the 27-year-old since he only really focused on the shot three years ago. Prior to that he was also competing in the hammer throw. It didnt take long to realize that his chances of success were greater in the shot because there are far more competitive opportunities.

With Bondarchuks encouragement they dropped the hammer. Armstrong points out that Bondarchuk also coached Aleksandr Baryshnikov to an Olympic silver medal in 1980 and a world record of 22.00m.

After the Canadian championships and trials July 3-6 Armstrong will fly to Europe and compete in two IAAF Super Grand Prix meets in Stockholm and London. The Belgrade mark remains etched in his mind.

"I was happy, I was definitely overdue for that," he says. "That was one of my goals last year. I made a pretty good jump and learned a lot. This year I have slowly progressed into throwing a little bit further. I am hoping for bigger things. Hopefully at Beijing I can do a lot better."

Making the 12-man field will be the first step. Getting inside the first eight will be the next because they are given an additional three throws. Anything can happen and Dylan Armstrong is the sort of athlete to excel under Olympic conditions, especially if he controls his aggression.