Hoffa still taking sport to new heights

Lakeside High School alum Reese Hoffa has already made a name for himself as one of the top shot putters in the history of the world. As reported today, he’s now going for the title of top shot putter in the history of video games.

It’s the perfect setting for a guy who loves the spotlight in a sport that rarely gets it. Hoffa (5-11, 315) and his fellow American shot put competitors Christian Cantwell (6-5, 300) and Adam Nelson (6-0, 255) are typically relegated to the bottom of stories recapping track and field events.

But the three athletes now have a chance to take the sport to another level as the 2008 Olympic Games approach. The Games in Beijing will be the site of an extremely competitive shot put event that could draw even more attention to the athletes and their trade.

First, they're all virtually guaranteed to get there. In fact, the three athletes are so much of a lock to complete in Beijing that at least one other top shot putter has switched events.

They were called brobdingnagians after Hoffa beat out his fellow competitors at the fourth annual Grand Prix meet at Icahn Stadium on May 31. But it was Nelson who came out on top at the Nike Prefontaine Classic this past weekend when all three athletes were deemed “worth the price of admission”. Cantwell held the top throw of the season entering the event.

So who will be the favorite for gold in Beijing? It's too early to tell right now. Hoffa, the reiging world champ, said “everything’s going real well” when it comes to his training leading up to the Games. He was in Iowa on Wednesday watching the NCAA track and field championships after he spent last weekend making his best throw of the outdoor season at the Nike Prefontaine Classic.

Whether Hoffa goes on to win gold in Beijing or comes up short, he'll will always have that video game cover. He said Wednesday he hadn’t seen the cover yet, but when he heard it included an American flag draped over his shoulders and an intimidating scowl across his face, he summed it up in one word: “Sweet.”