Indiana State thrower Erin Reese doesn't advance in Paris but 'excited for the future.'
SAINT-DENIS, France – Erin Reese made it to Europe for the first time. Boarded the boat next to LeBron James for opening ceremony. Experienced the diversity of humanity that is the Olympic Village. Hung out with throwers whose posters she has attached to the wall.
“It’s been amazing, just to have a week where you’re an athlete and nothing else,” said Reese, a mental health case worker in Terre Haute.
It has been the experience of a lifetime. What she really wanted to do, however, was compete for a hammer medal at the Paris Olympics.
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Reese finished 14th Sunday in qualifying at Stade de France. Her distance of 230 feet, 5 inches was not enough to be among the 12 to advance.
Reese, 28, was the 2019 NCAA runner-up while at Indiana State. She finished second to Canada’s Camryn Rogers, the reigning world champion and No. 2 qualifier in Paris.
After throwing 225-6 in the first round, Reese improved to 230-5 in the second and climbed to sixth in Group A. Her last attempt was a foul, landing left of the sector line.
She said she held onto the handle “a smidge too long,” and that the last one was probably the best one. She was seventh in her group and had to await results of Group B to learn if she made the cut.
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Likewise, when she was third at the Olympic Trials, she had to wait to see if her world ranking would make the cut.
“It’s always a waiting game with me,” Reese said. “I’d rather be in this position than not.”
Krista Tervo, a 26-year-old Finn, topped qualifying at 245-4. The two other Americans, 2019 world champion DeAnna Price (242-1) and 2024 national champion Annette Echikunwoke (241-2), were third and fourth.
Reese felt support from so many corners.
Her family in suburban Chicago was holding a 3 a.m. watch party. Six friends traveled to Paris to see her throw. She was getting so many texts from Terre Haute, she had to put away the cellphone.
“I couldn’t handle it,” she said.
She continues to learn how to handle the hammer. When she first picked it up at Dayton, she was so bad her college coach told the throws coach to quit wasting time on her.
Besides, the event looked “terrifying,” he said.
When she arrived on her first global stage, it felt different. She said she felt calm, felt as if she belonged.
She has committed to continuing throwing through 2028, when the Olympics will be at Los Angeles. Improvement has been incremental but continuous. At February’s USA Indoor Championships, she was less than a foot from the world record in the 20-pound weight.
“I’m still learning how to be involved in this,” Reese said. “So I’m excited for the future.”
Contact IndyStar correspondent David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Erin Reese finishes 14th in hammer throw at 2024 Paris Olympics
