ALUMNAE PROFILES
Adelaide competes in at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in August.
Magnificat’s Olympian: Adelaide Aquilla ’17 Shot-putters get three attempts to qualify for the Olympics, but Adelaide Aquilla ’17 nailed it on her first try. Her throw of 18.61 meters edged out her closest competition by three centimeters, granting her a third place finish and a trip to Tokyo to perform on the world stage.
“I wish my family could have been there,” she said about her time in Tokyo. Adelaide’s shot put career started in 7th Grade at St. Raphael School, where students were challenged to try every track event to win the Raider Award and a tie-dye sweatshirt. Teachers saw her ability in shot put and encouraged her to stick with it, and she became more and more interested in the details of how to throw. At Magnificat, she further developed her technique and stayed fit by running cross country with her friends. “Day in and day out, Adelaide was always working on her craft,” says President Moira Clark '77. Her high school experience with track and field showed her the power of team spirit and camaraderie.
The Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, in June were the culmination of a stellar year for the Ohio State Buckeye, who set a school record and won both the indoor and outdoor NCAA National Championships. At age 22, she was the only college athlete among the trio of female U.S. shot-putters sent to the Olympics, competing against professional athletes. While she did not qualify for the final rounds of competition, she intends to continue competing with Ohio State as she completes her studies in communications and hospital “Track is very individualized based on performance,” she said. management. Hopefully, she will return to the Olympics in “But it’s nice to have a team behind you, cheering you on.” Paris in 2024—and experience an Olympics without strict COVID-19 precautions in place.
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MAGNIFICAT MAGAZINE | A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNAE AND FRIENDS OF MAGNIFICAT HIGH SCHOOL | FALL | WINTER 2021
