Success isn’t new for international Husker javelin transfers

From The Daily Nebraskan: https://www.dailynebraskan.com/sports/success-isn-t-new-for-international-husker-javelin-transfers/article_3ef7513a-ea0f-11ed-b91f-1bddc1abc5c0.html

Two Nebraska javelin throwers line up at the Michael Johnson Invitational with high hopes. After putting their all into the throw, they are rewarded with spots in Husker history, breaking the school record. Although both of them have only been in Lincoln for less than a year, this is just another accomplishment in an impressive catalog spanning all around the world.

Nebraska javelin throwers Rhema Otabor and Arthur Petersen set the women’s and men’s school record, respectively, for the javelin throw at the Michael Johnson Invitational in Waco, Texas on April 21, 2023. While both are relatively new to the Husker program, they have proven to be valuable to the team's success.

“They bring a wealth of experience,” head track and field coach Justin St. Clair said. “They have an understanding on what it takes to be at a competitive level, not only at the conference level but also national level and international level.”

Otabor, a junior, set the women’s school record with a distance of 59.28 meters (194 feet, 6 inches), winning the event in the process. The throw not only puts her atop the program charts but also places her at the No. 1 mark in the country just a month into the outdoor season. Right behind her is junior javelin thrower Maddie Harris, who had previously set the Nebraska record earlier in the season. The two throwers are able to push each other to improve.

“I feel like competition breeds competition, and she’s an amazing thrower,” Otabor said of Harris. “We both kind of have similar mindsets. It just allows us to keep producing great throws and stay focused on our goals.”

For Otabor, javelin came to her by chance as she had planned on playing another sport in her hometown of Nassau, Bahamas.

“I started javelin way back when I had just entered high school in seventh grade,” Otabor said. “We needed someone for my age division, and, at the time, I didn’t throw javelin at all. I played softball, but my brother threw javelin and was pretty good. So, my high school coach just asked me to throw javelin.”

Otabor started her collegiate career at Florida International University, where she achieved significant success, winning the Conference USA title twice. In her first meet as a Panther, Otabor broke the school record in the javelin throw with a distance of 54.19 meters. Her freshman year ended with her finishing 21st in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. After an impressive first year, Otabor’s 2022 campaign saw her take another leap, throwing a then-personal best mark of 56.25 meters. She finished the season with first-team All-American honors, placing fourth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

The summer of 2022 also saw Otabor compete in the inaugural Caribbean Games in Baie-Mahault, Guadeloupe for her home country of The Bahamas. Otabor won gold in the javelin with a mark of 53.38 meters (175 feet, 1 inch) with her throw being over 50 feet farther than the runner-up. Competing for her home country was a surreal experience for Otabor.

“It was one of my most amazing accomplishments,” Otabor said. “I feel like for any person in general, being able to put on their country’s colors and represent them knowing that they have the entire support of the nation on their back is an extreme privilege.”

Later in the Michael Johnson invite, junior Arthur Petersen broke a 24-year-old record on the men’s side, throwing a distance of 77.08 meters (252 feet, 11 inches), finishing runner-up in the invite. The record has been something Petersen has eyed ever since he transferred to Nebraska from UT Arlington.

“When I was getting recruited, I knew that the school record was a little shorter than my personal best, which is 79.90 meters,” Petersen said. “When I threw the record in the competition, I was happy that I finally got it.”

Petersen grew up in Hellerup, Denmark where he started throwing javelin at 14 years old with the help of his father.

“My dad got me into it because he himself was throwing javelin, and that gave him the opportunity to go study in the U.S.,” Petersen said. “He went to ULM (University of Louisiana Monroe) and ended up in the U.S. for almost seven years. He really enjoyed it, and I thought I wanted to do the same.”

In two years at UT Arlington, Petersen won two Sun Belt Championships while setting the school record in the javelin. Petersen earned second-team All-American honors after finishing 11th in the NCAA Outdoor Championship as a freshman and first-team All-American honors after a sixth-place finish his sophomore year. He chose to transfer to Nebraska for his junior season as he values both the university’s academic and athletic programs.

“The business school here is ranked a lot higher, and I heard a lot of good things about it,” Petersen said. “But also, the track and field team is very competitive, and [St. Clair] is a very good javelin coach.”

Like Otabor, Petersen also had the opportunity to represent his country, Denmark, in international competition on several occasions, including a gold medal win at the Danish Championships with a mark of 75.74 meters in June 2022. The country’s process behind deciding who will compete on the national team requires Petersen to perform his best day in and day out.

“They can’t just pick whoever they want to represent the country,” Petersen said. “They need to make a certain standard to qualify for these big meets.”

Thanks to their international backgrounds, Otabor and Petersen bring a different style to the event, one that American-born throwers may take years to fully develop.

“When you are an international individual, often you learn how to throw a javelin, not learn how to throw a football or baseball,” St. Clair said. “It’s completely different. The feeling is much different and the execution of it is a lot different.”

While the NCAA Outdoor Championships take place between June 7-10 in Austin, Texas, both throwers have their sights set on greater prestige in the near future as they hope to compete in the World Athletic Championships in Budapest, Hungary between Aug. 19-27.