Japanese Record & World Uni Qualifier

Benn Harradine
Apr 29
3 min read

After a bout of stomach flu and fever, I (Benn) finally made it down to the USA to join Japanese discus thrower Masateru Yugami and Swiss discus thrower Gian Vetterli.

Throws Town has produced some fantastic results for both men and women over the past few years, and it was great to finally experience it in person.

My first day in Ramona began with heavy rain and lightning—weather not unlike our mountain conditions in Sweden. The wind pushed clouds in and out so quickly that what started as a bright sunny day became a severe thunderstorm within minutes. Our competitions were postponed, so we used the time to get some training in.

Both Yugami and Gian had shown strong signs of progress, and we remained focused on our key objectives:

For Yugami: Throw as far as possible and get as close as we could to the World Championship standard.
For Gian: Hit the World University Games qualification mark of 58.00 meters.

I also had the chance to better understand why Caleb Seal—the man behind the scenes in Ramona—has invested so much time and effort into building what many call our "field of dreams." It’s clear his passion for this sport runs deep. Caleb is truly committed to making athletes feel supported and valued, which is more than many are doing to keep our sport alive worldwide.

As the coach of two athletes with very different needs, my job is to stay present and listen—then decide when and how to act based on what I hear.

Gian's Journey

For Gian, training was filled with frustration and self-doubt. Technically, he was searching for the cue—the one that clicks, especially under pressure. His constant pursuit of perfection sometimes worked against him, leading to a lack of confidence and a difficulty recognising progress from session to session.

My approach here was to ask questions like, “What do you feel?” or “What’s missing?” If I sensed frustration, I shifted gears—choosing to be more directive: “This is what we’re going to do, and this is how we’re going to do it.” Then, we would reflect together on whether we executed successfully.

Over time, Gian began experimenting more and started putting pieces together. Execution remained inconsistent, but in those moments I moved back into a more supportive coaching role, asking things like, “What are our options?” or “What should we focus on here?”

Gian is an intelligent athlete. He created thoughtful options, and soon, we began making real progress.

Yugami’s Breakthrough

Yugami, on the other hand, is in a phase where progress requires him to take more risks. I saw a noticeable shift in his demeanor—more responsibility, more assertiveness, and clearer decision-making based on his needs.

With him, my role became simpler: step back. I checked in to make sure the goals of each session and competition were clear, and I challenged him to stretch beyond his comfort zone.

This was our answer when asked if we are ready!

The Final Opportunity

Then came our final competition—the last chance before we flew out.

The night before, I made a point to use language that assumed success:

“When we’re heading to the airport after our last competition tomorrow, it’s going to feel so great knowing this trip was worth it and that we achieved what we came for.”

And it was worth it.

In the moment—round for round—we built momentum.

I was incredibly proud that both athletes seised the opportunity. We left Ramona with full hearts and full results.