It wasn’t the medal he was hoping for on Thursday night.
But for the second straight year, Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan is an All American in the 35-pound weight. The former Woonsocket High standout, a sophomore at the University of Mississippi. finished fifth overall at the NCAA Division 1 Track & Field Championships. Competing inside the TRACK at new balance, Robinson-O’Hagan unleashed the apparatus a distance of 75 feet, 4.25 inches.
The Woonsocket alum achieved his best on his second attempt in the prelims. At the time, his effort, which was sandwiched between to fouls, was a facility record.
“I have more that that,” he said afterwards. “I had bigger throws that should have come out. I threw a lot into the net today. I wasn’t consistent. I wanted to come here and be consistent and that didn’t happen; just a lot in the tank that I could have handled today…It happens. Everyone has their days. I had a great season this year. My worse one was probably this one.”
Robinson-O’Hagan did indeed have a great season leading up to the nationals. Just two weeks earlier, he captured the weight and the shot at the SEC Championships in Arkansas where he has a PR of 66-10.5 in the shot. He was also unbeaten in the hammer with a season best of 77-4.75 at the Music City Challenge (Feb. 9-10).
On Saturday, Robinson-O’Hagan will be looking to earn a top spot on the podium in the shot, where he ranks No. 2 in the field.
“That’s going to be a really big (competition), especially downstairs where it’s really compact and there’s a lot of seats in there, and a lot of people,” he said. “It should be intense and we should see some big throws.”
