Methuen Native Takes Shot At Olympic Glory In Javelin
LONDON (CBS) - Methuen native Sean Furey will make his Olympic debut Wednesday, competing in the qualifying rounds of the men's javelin.
"I've been throwing things my entire life," said the 2010 National Champion. "Throwing sticks just kind of came natural."
Read: WBZ London Eye Blog
Furey enters the Olympic competition with the longest throw by an American this year, achieving his personal best of 82.73 meters this past June.
Despite placing fourth at the Olympic Trials, Furey made the U.S. team by default, due to the first and second place throwers having not met the Olympic "A" Standard of 82 meters at any point during the season.
More: Olympic Coverage From London
The Dartmouth alum works part-time as an engineer in San Diego, so that he can devote the majority of his time to javelin.
While the weather in California is more conducive to training, Massachusetts still holds a place near and dear to his heart.
"I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss the food. You get bored of perfect sunshine every day," he said.
However, Furey knows that personal sacrifices are necessary.
"You put yourself in the best possible position to train and become an Olympian, and everything else is secondary," he said. "It's worth it, but, you do make some sacrifices."
The men's Javelin begins tonight in Olympic Park at 7:05 pm BST (British Summer Time).
Keesa McKoy, Victoria Price and Matthew Reed are students at Boston University, spending their summer internships reporting from the London Olympics for CBS Boston.
