EUGENE, Ore. (EYT/D9) — When the javelin left her hand, Evie Bliss knew it was going to be a very good throw.
The only question in her mind was just how good was it going to be.
Good enough to put her in the top eight at the finals of the women’s javelin at the Olympic Trials at the University of Oregon on Sunday evening?
She waited for the distance to be announced. When the Union graduate and freshman at Bucknell University heard the mark — 183 feet, 2 inches (55.82 meters) — she pumped her fists and went sprinting to find her throws coach, Ryan Protzman, to give him a big hug.
The career-best effort capped a memorable weekend for Bliss, who made it through to the finals with a 175-1 on Friday and then placed sixth on Sunday by shattering that mark.
Bliss further proved she is among the elite javelin throwers in the nation in just her first Trials.
“I was just ecstatic. I don’t even remember anything,” Bliss said. “I was just so overcome by emotion. Seeing that mark pop up — I mean, I knew it was a good throw, but actually seeing it was just unbelievable.”
Bliss was remarkably consistent.
Her first attempt was 173-11, and she followed that up with a 171-5.
Then came her third attempt and her personal record, which put her in the top eight and gave her three more attempts.
Those were 181-4 (another effort of over 55 meters), a fault, and a 174-4.
“One thing I can say is my consistency has grown tremendously this year,” Bliss said. “To be consistent throw after throw is big and to hit another 55 after that third throw was really relieving to me.”
The top three made Team USA for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, which begins July 26.
Maggie Malone Hardin placed first with a throw of 211-10 (64.58 meters). Kara Winger was second (206-6) and Madison Wiltrout finished third (200-8).
Hardin is 30; Winger is 38; and Wiltrout is 25.
Bliss, at 19, was the youngest in the final eight by two years.
“(Winger) threw in her first Olympic Trials the year I was born,” Bliss said. “She was the one who told me that.”
Bliss will also represent the United States in the World U20 Championships in Lima, Peru, in August.
She almost had to cancel those plans for a trip to Paris. She was 17 feet away from making the top three.
Just being in the same competition with the best women’s javelin throwers the United States has produced was an eye-opening experience for Bliss.
“It was just amazing getting to throw with these elite-level throwers like Kara Winger and Maggie Malone Hardin and Madison Wiltrout, some of the girls I’ve looked up to forever,” she said. “To be in the top six with them, I mean, that’s more than I can ask for. It’s better than anything I could have ever dreamed of.”
Bliss said her training for the 2028 Summer Olympic Trials begins now.
“The four-year plan starts today,” she said.
It’s been a remarkable ascent in the sport for Bliss, who has only been throwing the javelin seriously for three years.
She made a gigantic leap late in her junior season for Union/A-C Valley, but didn’t even win the District 9 title that season. She advanced to the PIAA Track and Field Championships and overcame a poor first throw — just 67 feet — to sneak into the finals in ninth place.
Bliss finished a surprising second.
Last year, she won the state title with a state-meet record mark, and this year at Bucknell claimed the Patriot League crown as a freshman.
Still, nothing could have prepared her for what she accomplished on the biggest stage of all on Sunday at legendary Hayward Field.
“It means more than anything to me,” Bliss said. “I can’t even put it into words. I was right there with them. I’m closer to 60 meters than I am to 50. It gives me so much more determination to come back in four years and make the team. I got my taste of it, and now I’m gunning for it.”
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