Nathan Merena, of Doylestown (Gayman Elementary School), just 8 years old on March 12, became the youngest Track and Field All-American in Central Bucks history with his fourth place finish in the boys’ 8-and-Under shot put at the Hershey Youth Indoor Nationals March 14.
The All-American title is bestowed upon any boy or girl of any age who scores in the top six in their event in either an AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) or USATF (USA Track and Field) National Championship in indoor or outdoor track and field (or cross country, top 25).
Nathan’s toss of 4.35 meters (14’ 3.25”) with the 2 kg (4.4 lb) shot was achieved on his third and last attempt of the preliminary round. Saturday’s competition was held at the Prince George’s Sports and learning Complex, Landover, MD, adjacent to FedExField.
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Coincidentally, Nathan had the chance to collect another medal earlier in the day. He entered the long jump competition ranked fifth (from February’s National Trials) with a mark of 3.11 m (10’ 2.5”). He also had two of the top 20 marks in the nation as of early March based on results compiled at coacho.com and eliteyouth.net. However, he was unable to reach the finals – his best jump in the preliminaries was only 2.29 m (7’ 6.25”), three feet off his recent best! Of the top ten seeded jumpers, only two improved their mark over Trials including the gold and silver medalists who were off by 16” and 10 “, respectively.
“Weather was not a factor, said his coach. Nathan was able to practice despite the really cold temperatures and snow. At times, younger jumpers simply lack the consistency. Moreover, Nathan’s not yet a true sprinter like his adversaries. And, perhaps his legs, specifically, are better suited to afternoon meets – we’ve seen some hint of that! Weird….. he was jumping 10 ½ feet in practice that Wednesday. We may never know the true reason.”
