EAST ALTON, Ill. — It may not be the Stade de France in Paris, but at East Alton/Wood River High School, Olympic dreams are just as strong. That’s all due to one very strong woman, and her journey to become one of the best in the world.
“I’ve known her since she was a little bitty girl. And she’s always had a poise about her and a look that she’s just special," East Alton/Wood River High School head track and field coach Russ Colona said.
Jayden Ulrich’s story is one of throwing dominance. She benched 220 pounds as a high schooler, and still holds the Illinois state record in shot put and discus, making her one of the most dominant prep athletes in Metro East history.
“She’s like Michael Jordan. She holds 6, 7,8 throws all-time in shot and disc. Her sophomore year she got second in the state, and then she never lost unless we went to a national meet," Colona said. "Her senior year in the shot put, she won the event by 6 or 7 feet… Her only competition was herself. In high school I kept telling them, ‘She’s one of the best in the nation’. Not just Illinois. She was top 5 in the country in shot and disc, which is crazy.”
“East Alton, definitely a small town. Wood River still a small town. I love being able to represent that area of Illinois and being a part of the Metro East area, tons of good athletes come out of there and I’m proud to be part of that now," Ulrich said. “I think it’s just whenever I’m doing the movement, everything feels so natural. There’s nothing I really have to focus on or tell myself ‘I need to do this’, or ‘I need to be good at this’, it’s just something that comes natural. I’m very fluid, so it’s easy to fall in love doing that.”
Now, Ulrich is a 21-year-old thrower at the University of Louisville, who got her chance to shine at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. And shine she did, with a second-place finish.
“In the moment I feel like I looked at it like another meet. I didn’t want to psych myself out by thinking ‘I’m going to the Olympic trials’, so I was just trying to keep my cool and composure, but afterwards, after I got second, I really thought about it and was like, ‘Oh my God I just got second at the Olympic trials,'" Ulrich said. “I’d say I have a pretty solid routine that I stick to. I wouldn’t say that I’m super zoned in or locked in until I’m actually in the ring. Any other time I’m talking to everyone, probably singing most of the time whatever song is being played in the stadium. I feel like I’m more of a chilled-back thrower other than when I’m in the ring.”
Ulrich’s second-place finish at the trials and place in the world rankings certified her spot on her first Olympic team. It's the culmination of a dream she’s had since her days at East Alton/Wood River.
“I’d say it goes back to middle school. Once you start doing a sport and you’re kind of good when you start, you always want to dream really big. So I feel that one of my first dreams was making the Olympic team when I’m older," Ulrich said.
Ulrich's hometown is still firmly in her corner.
“I’ve seen as much excitement as I’ve ever seen here. People want to buy shirts, there’s signs, I get congratulated everywhere I go for coaching an Olympian. It’s been outstanding," Colona said.
And her family and friends who have been her support system from her Metro East beginnings now get to root on an Olympian.
“They’ve given me so much support. I know all of my high school meets they were there. Now in college it’s kind of harder because I travel more, but after every meet I’m getting calls saying, ‘I watched you, I watched the results the whole time’, so I can’t thank them enough," Ulrich said.
While the thrill of being an Olympian is exciting in its own right, Ulrich has definitely dreamed of coming back with a medal around her neck.
“I’m so excited for this amazing opportunity I’m able to have. And I feel like I’m going to walk in there with the same mindset I’ve been walking into ACC’s and NCAA’s with. Just go out there, do my best and see what happens," Colona said. “That would be crazy. I don’t even know where to start. That would be wild. I’ve definitely thought about it… It’s such a wild dream just to be able to go.”
“I’ve seen her do things I didn’t think could be done. She has this capacity inside of her to just focus on what she’s doing, block out everything around her and get things done," Colona said. “She worked hard. She loved lifting. She got stronger and stronger and her footwork and technique got better. People ask me if I’m surprised and I say, ‘No, not really.’ I don’t want to brag or anything, but the signs were all there.”