Whether its in the dojo or the throwing circle, UCLA’s
Cari Soong is a fighter.
Soong ““ a black belt in karate and one of the premier
hammer throwers in the nation ““ utilized her martial arts
background Saturday at the Pac-10 Championships, sparring with
USC’s Julianna Tudja before ultimately delivering the
knockout blow. She captured the conference title in the hammer with
a fifth-round mark of 215 feet, 11 inches, defeating her crosstown
rivals and establishing a new personal record.
“Throwing and karate both give me the same kind of outlet
for my energy,” Soong said. “Today I cleared my mind
and went for it.”
She first enrolled in karate classes at age four but quit when
she arrived at UCLA to focus on throwing. Nonetheless, Soong has
observed several striking similarities between the martial arts and
the hammer.
“I’ve noticed in karate that the girls would just
wait for me to attack,” Soong said. “It’s the
same thing in throwing. You’re at an advantage if you are
before somebody because you can throw them off.”
Soong enjoyed that edge against Tudja, the pre-meet favorite in
the hammer, and the UCLA junior took full advantage of it. After
both of them fouled in the first round, Soong unleashed a 210-foot
throw that set the tone for the rest of the competition.
She maintained the lead until the fifth round when she clinched
the competition with her personal record heave. That throw moved
her into third place on the national charts behind only Tudja and
Florida’s Candice Scott.
“Cari’s been a big-meet performer in the past so I
was confident that she would do well,” UCLA throws coach Art
Venegas said. “I didn’t know how well the other people
would do, but I knew she would be fine.”
In a year in which the other Bruin throwers have struggled with
consistency, Soong has been steady all season. She had hit the
209-foot mark in the hammer all year before her break-through
performance at the conference championships.
Soong’s victory was surprising ““ Tudja had thrown
six feet further than her less than a month ago in dual meet
competition. But Soong has since adjusted her technique in the
event from three turns to four, and is beginning to get used to the
changes.
“Three turns is a lot slower, so I am just getting used to
the speed,” Soong said. “I’m finally figuring it
out.”
It sure seems like it.
Soong hasn’t backed off of her weightlifting yet and is
expecting to post even bigger marks next month at the NCAA
Championships in Sacramento.
“It’s going to take the national record (223 feet)
to win nationals,” she said. “The collegiate record
will be broken.”
If Soong keeps improving, she might just be the one to do
it.