Sheldon fans send off their Olympic thrower
By Tim Gallagher, Journal staff writer | Posted: Thursday, July 24, 2008
SHELDON, Iowa -- Success hasn't gone to A.G. Kruger's head.
It's gone to his legs.
"He is down to earth. This hasn't gone to his head at all," said Kari (Wagenaar) Bousema, a classmate of Kruger's at Sheldon High School in the late 1990s. Bousema was one of dozens who turned out Wednesday to wish Kruger the best in his quest for an Olympic medal.
Kruger, 29, is the lone U.S. hammer thrower competing in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. He throws Aug. 15 at Olympic Stadium and hopes to improve upon his 2004 Olympic effort in Athens, Greece, where he finished 31st out of 34 competitors.
"My goal going in is to make the finals, which is the top 12," said Kruger, a 1997 graduate of Sheldon High and a 2001 Morningside College graduate. "After that, anything can happen."
Kruger, who stands 6-4 and weighs 255 pounds, unleashed a throw of 78.68 meters this spring to top the U.S. hammer throw charts. He backed it up with a first-place effort last month at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore.
Throwers must equal or exceed 78.5 meters to qualify for the Olympics.
It's quite a feat to qualify for the Olympics twice despite still being relatively new to the sport. Kruger only began the hammer throw as a junior at Morningside. He won the NCAA Division II title in the event as a Mustang senior.
"I played football, basketball and did track in high school," said Kruger, who came to Morningside weighing 200 pounds. He was quickly introduced to the weight room and dining hall. His weight increased to 260 pounds by the spring of his freshman year.
"No college coaches really looked at me for track and field," he said.
It is now his passion. Kruger said he excels thanks in part to technique, not bulk.
"I'm really what you might consider a fragile athlete," said Kruger, who works as the strength and conditioning coach at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio. "I rely on technique."
Currently, he lifts once per week and focuses on his legs and lower back, keys to this sport. He said his health is good as is his state of mind.
"You can't describe the pride you feel wearing your country's colors when you walk in the opening ceremonies at the Olympics," he said. "I will be there to do the best I can for the U.S.A."
Kruger's wife Laura, a native of Buffalo, N.Y., will make the trip along with his mother, Linda. Kruger's father, Al, won't make the trek until 2012, when he hopes to watch his son do the hammer throw in the Olympics at London.
"His dad wants to go where they speak English," Linda said with a laugh. Al and Linda Kruger still reside in Sheldon.
The family presented items for a silent auction Wednesday while Kruger signed autographs and visited with fans and old classmates like Bousema, who threw the shot put and discus with him at Sheldon High.
"We've been watching his progress in the papers," she said. "I am so pumped for him!"
She said Kruger is the same guy he was while he sported the orange and black for the Orabs.
"We're very proud of him," added Eloise Kuiper of nearby Ashton. "I used to drive my grandson and A.G. to golf before they could drive. My grandson (Nick Kuiper) is going to be a surgeon in a couple of years."
Kruger might just be an Olympic medal winner.
"It's an honor for him to go," she said. "He's a wonderful young man."
Kruger is the third Olympic athlete to hail from Sheldon. Wrestlers Tom and Terry Brands earned medals for the U.S. team in 1996 and 2000, respectively.
"This is the third one from our little town to go," said Gene Den Hartog of Sheldon as he shook Kruger's hand. "We've got to show our support."
It's gone to his legs.
"He is down to earth. This hasn't gone to his head at all," said Kari (Wagenaar) Bousema, a classmate of Kruger's at Sheldon High School in the late 1990s. Bousema was one of dozens who turned out Wednesday to wish Kruger the best in his quest for an Olympic medal.
Kruger, 29, is the lone U.S. hammer thrower competing in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. He throws Aug. 15 at Olympic Stadium and hopes to improve upon his 2004 Olympic effort in Athens, Greece, where he finished 31st out of 34 competitors.
"My goal going in is to make the finals, which is the top 12," said Kruger, a 1997 graduate of Sheldon High and a 2001 Morningside College graduate. "After that, anything can happen."
Kruger, who stands 6-4 and weighs 255 pounds, unleashed a throw of 78.68 meters this spring to top the U.S. hammer throw charts. He backed it up with a first-place effort last month at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore.
Throwers must equal or exceed 78.5 meters to qualify for the Olympics.
It's quite a feat to qualify for the Olympics twice despite still being relatively new to the sport. Kruger only began the hammer throw as a junior at Morningside. He won the NCAA Division II title in the event as a Mustang senior.
"I played football, basketball and did track in high school," said Kruger, who came to Morningside weighing 200 pounds. He was quickly introduced to the weight room and dining hall. His weight increased to 260 pounds by the spring of his freshman year.
"No college coaches really looked at me for track and field," he said.
It is now his passion. Kruger said he excels thanks in part to technique, not bulk.
"I'm really what you might consider a fragile athlete," said Kruger, who works as the strength and conditioning coach at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio. "I rely on technique."
Currently, he lifts once per week and focuses on his legs and lower back, keys to this sport. He said his health is good as is his state of mind.
"You can't describe the pride you feel wearing your country's colors when you walk in the opening ceremonies at the Olympics," he said. "I will be there to do the best I can for the U.S.A."
Kruger's wife Laura, a native of Buffalo, N.Y., will make the trip along with his mother, Linda. Kruger's father, Al, won't make the trek until 2012, when he hopes to watch his son do the hammer throw in the Olympics at London.
"His dad wants to go where they speak English," Linda said with a laugh. Al and Linda Kruger still reside in Sheldon.
The family presented items for a silent auction Wednesday while Kruger signed autographs and visited with fans and old classmates like Bousema, who threw the shot put and discus with him at Sheldon High.
"We've been watching his progress in the papers," she said. "I am so pumped for him!"
She said Kruger is the same guy he was while he sported the orange and black for the Orabs.
"We're very proud of him," added Eloise Kuiper of nearby Ashton. "I used to drive my grandson and A.G. to golf before they could drive. My grandson (Nick Kuiper) is going to be a surgeon in a couple of years."
Kruger might just be an Olympic medal winner.
"It's an honor for him to go," she said. "He's a wonderful young man."
Kruger is the third Olympic athlete to hail from Sheldon. Wrestlers Tom and Terry Brands earned medals for the U.S. team in 1996 and 2000, respectively.
"This is the third one from our little town to go," said Gene Den Hartog of Sheldon as he shook Kruger's hand. "We've got to show our support."
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