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FOR TEXAS’ GREATEST ATHLETES, 10 EVENTS ARE BETTER THAN ONE
Annual St. Mark’s meet is an elite decathlon, heptathlon showcase
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By Todd Jorgenson
People Newspapers
In 1999, John Turek started hosting an annual decathlon and heptathlon at St. Mark’s to introduce young athletes to the multi-event competitions not often held at the high school level.
More than two decades later, the Texas Greatest Athlete meet has evolved from a developmental clinic into a valuable tuneup for elite international competitors and Olympic hopefuls.
This year’s 20th annual event, held on June 5-6, brought a record 51 athletes in both open and youth divisions.
Turek, the longtime track and field coach at St. Mark’s, was asked by USA Track and Field officials to expand the meet in 2006, giving top athletes a chance to compete a few weeks before the world championships (typically in odd-numbered years) or the U.S. Olympic trials — both held in late June.
The 100-meter dash kicked off the open division of Texas Greatest Athlete decathlon competition on June 5
at St. Mark’s. (PHOTO: CHRIS MCGATHEY)
“Every Olympic year, people tend to come out of the woodwork to give it one last shot,” said Turek, a former decathlete himself. “There (are) also people trying to get a score to hit the Olympic qualifying standard.”
This year’s field included Solomon Simmons, who finished eighth in the decathlon at the world championships in 2019 in Doha, Qatar. The California native hopes to be competing this summer at the Olympics in Tokyo.
Ditto for decathlete Scott Filip and heptathlete Ashtin Mahler, who won an NCAA title at the University of Texas in 2019.
The meet has not strayed from its original mission, either, retaining divisions for boys and girls learning the unique nature of the grueling two-day decathlon (10 events for men) and heptathlon (seven events for women).
“Within the track and field community, the combined events are very unique,” Turek said. “The camaraderie among the athletes is unparalleled. It’s not really competing against each other. It’s competing against the score. It’s a whole different mindset.”
Turning heads this year was Louisiana native Ariel Pedigo, the top teenage heptathlete in the country, whose total score broke a 20-year-old meet record.
For the first time in 2021, the meet was renamed in honor of John Green, longtime USATF administrator and Turek’s friend and mentor. Green died in March.
“He was invaluable to USA Track and Field. He never said no,” Turek said. “He oversaw the development of men and women who were just below world-class. STRENGTH AND SPEED
The Texas Greatest Athlete meet includes the decathlon for men, and the heptathlon for women. The events, contested over two days in a specific order, break down as follows:
Decathlon 100 meters Long jump Shot put High jump 400 meters 110 hurdles Discus Pole vault Javelin 1,500 meters
Heptathlon 100 hurdles High jump Shot put 200 meters Long jump Javelin 800 meters
He also sat on several committees. He wore a lot of different hats in a lot of different venues. He was a great communicator and great mediator and had tremendous foresight.”
Major Goals: Recent Results Renew Confidence for Spieth
After COVID break and Byron Nelson finish, Preston Hollow resident aims for big summer
By Todd Jorgenson
People Newspapers
year, Spieth placed ninth — his best finish since debuting in 2010 at age 16. “I’m happy with kind of the way things
Jordan Spieth has been trending upward turned out for the week as a whole,” Spieth this season on the PGA Tour, even though said. “The tournament was great out here, wins in his backyard remain elusive. and after having a month off just kind of
Spieth is a three-time major champion coming out and hitting a lot of good shots, and former FedEx Cup winner. This sea- picking back up where I left off, was a big son, he won the Texas Open in San Anto- confidence boost.” nio, finished third at the Masters, was sec- That month was due in part to a ond at the Charles Schwab Challenge in post-Masters case of COVID-19 that sent Fort Worth, and has eight top-ten show- Spieth, 27, to the sidelines unexpectedly. ings in 19 starts. “It just kind of set me back a little. I
His struggles at AT&T Byron Nelson wasn’t planning on taking a month off in are well documented. The Preston Hol- the spring,” he said. “I had to quarantine low resident and former Jesuit standout away from my wife — in the same house, has played the local tournament 10 times which was interesting. I know a lot of peoin his career, more than any other stop on ple have had to do that over the last year tour. or so. I guess it certainly could have been
PCP_July2021-1x10Banner-draft3.1.pdf 1 6/10/2021 12:35:41 PMAlmost every time, he’s among the fa- worse, and so I was lucky with that.” vorites and draws the largest galleries, but Spieth, 27, played the first two rounds in he’s never been a factor on Sunday. This a threesome with two up-and-coming local stars, Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris — each still seeking their first victory on tour.
“They’re both obviously incredibly talented,” Spieth said. “I remembered being on the green in the group with these guys when I was 13, and they were 11. So what a kind of cool experience to see that now and obviously the success they’ve had.”
The quality of the tournament field increased this year with a relocation to TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney after a lackluster two-year stint at Preston Forest in Dallas and a cancellation in 2020.
“It’s exciting to see so many top guys coming back to Dallas. Obviously, as somebody who plays it every year, I would love for all the top players to come here,” Spieth said. “From the way I look at it, it’s just nice to have people come to the tournament that I grew up going to and seeing the best players come in.”
Jordan Spieth enjoyed a career-best finish at the AT&T Byron Nelson in May, when the tournament relocated to TPC Craig Ranch in
McKinney. (PHOTO: COURTESY PGA TOUR)
