Good Sports: Willy Irwin

FRESNO, Calif. -- In a sport where athletes don't peak until their mid-30's, 22 year old Clovis East grad Willy Irwin is considered a boy among men.

"I love the sport," Irwin said. "I have a lot of passion for it. I'm still working on it. I have a long way to go. This isn't a young man's sport.

But don't let his age fool you. Irwin is a shot put prodigy.

"You can tell right away," Irwin's shot put Coach Mike Mielke said, "especially if you've been around the sport for a long time. That was a remarkable ability."

Throwing the 16 pound steel ball a personal best of 69 feet in practice. The world record is 75 feet. Irwin also won a state championship in shot put and discus at Clovis East.

"It is a science definitely," Irwin said of the sport. "It requires strength, but it's definitely more technique than strength."

Irwin starred at Fresno City College and Concordia University, winning the NAIA national championship last year. And just last month, Irwin represented the Team USA at his first international event in Canada, winning the shot put with a throw of almost 64 feet.

"It's pretty cool," Irwin said with a smile. "Not a lot of people get to compete for their country. I was really honored to wear the flag, represent everybody."

Taking the title in Canada has strengthened Irwin's desire to one day represent the U.S. in the Olympics. Both he and his coach know he's just getting started on that journey, and there's nowhere to go but way up.

"He has the ability to throw 70, 71 feet," Mielke said. "It's a matter of refining the technique to apply his power. So I think with his athletic ability there shouldn't be any problems."

"I mean that'd be my dream," Irwin said. "I realized that was what I wanted to do when I was a sophomore in high school. I set my mind to it and I started getting better at throwing I think I can become an Olympian."

And with the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics right around the corner, no one is betting against Irwin.