Argyle Senior Emily Harbach is the 2024 Junior Olympics National Champion in Women’s Javelin Throw 17-18.
Early this summer, Emily’s track coach, Pete Abbey, recommended with her speed and softball history that she try javelin, and she was a natural, Abbey said. They trained twice a week during the summer. At her first track meet, she finished in first place with a throw of 123 feet which qualified her to throw in the U.S. Track & Field Junior Olympics in College Station.
“Very rarely do I get speechless, but working with her and her family leaves me speechless sometimes,” Abbey said. “She’s only scratched the surface.”
At the Junior Olympics on July 27, Emily needed to improve on her throw of 117’3″ to qualify for finals, and she went above and beyond, setting a new personal record of 141’8″, putting her in first place going into the finals. In the finals, she further cemented the top spot with a new PR of 143’3”, making her the 2024 Women’s Junior Olympics National Champion.
Emily’s parents, Drew and Sharon Harbach, said they’re equally impressed with how quickly she excelled at something she hadn’t tried before this summer.
“She’s very technically detailed in running with a sharp object, which we’d always told her never to do,” Sharon said with a laugh. “We’re really proud of how hard she’s worked.”
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