Mattis American record earns him USATF Athlete of the Week honors

INDIANAPOLIS -- Breaking an American record* that had stood for almost 45 years, Sam Mattis (Temple, PA/USATF Mid-Atlantic) earned recognition as the 14th USATF Athlete of the Week award winner for 2026.

In the second round of the Oklahoma Throws World Invitational at Ramona on April 9, Mattis drilled a 72.45/237-8 throw that bettered the ratified American record of 72.34/237-4 that was set on July 7, 1981, by Ben Plucknett at Stockholm. The effort moved Mattis to No. 8 on the all-time world performer list.

Mattis also had a throw of 70.79/232-3 in round four and ended up fourth in the deepest quality men's discus competition in history, with six athletes bettering 70 meters in a single competition for the first time ever.

Other top performances from last week:

• Lauren Harris bettered her own American record in the half marathon race walk with a 1:39:28 in 13th place, the best placing in this millennium by an American woman at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Brazil.
• Emma Grace Hurley won the women's title at the USATF 10 Mile Championships in Washington, DC,  finishing third overall in 50:42 to earn her first U.S. national gold.
• Graydon Morris was the men's champion at the USATF 10 Mile Championships, clocking 46:18 to place second overall. It was his first U.S. national title.
• Brogan Austin won the USATF men's 100K Championships in Madison, Wisc., by more than 11 minutes in 6:34:01.
• Sarah Morrison was the women's winner at the USATF 100K Championships, taking the victory by more than 13 minutes in 7:17:01.

*All records subject to verification by the USATF Records Committee

Now in its 25th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week. 

2026 Winners: January 15, Jonathan Simms; January 22, Michelle Rohl; January 29, Josh Hoey; February 5, Roisin Willis; February 12, Jordan Geist; February 19, Cole Hocker; February 26, Cynthia McNamee; March 5, Chase Jackson; March 12, Lauren Harris; March 19, Garrett Kaalund; March 26, Cooper Lutkenhaus; April 2, Rudy Winkler; April 9, Max Thomas; April 16, Sam Mattis.

We welcome your nominations!

To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to communications@usatf.org.

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