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Denzel Pratt Javelin – Strong Competition/NCAA Div 1 Track Championships
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A day after competing at the NCAA Division 1 Track and Field Championships being held in Eugene,
Oregon, we sat down with Bahamian Denzel Pratt who reflected on his performance in the javelin and
what is ahead for him down the road.
Pratt, a junior, has a history of success winning back-to-back Penn Relays high school boy’s javelin titles
in 2014 and 2015. His toss of 220 feet, 7 inches was the sixth best in meet history.
As a college athlete, Pratt earned All Big South honors in the outdoor javelin three consecutive years
(2016 - 2018) and Big South individual titles in 2017 and 2018. Pratt also set a Liberty freshman record
at the Big South meet, finishing third overall. His winning throw of 232 feet (70.72 m) in the individual
competition in 2017, set a Bahamian national record that stood for 26 years.
Among his other accolades, Pratt won four javelin competitions in 2016, including the Coastal Carolina
Invitational, Winthrop Invitational, Liberty Collegiate Invitational and Liberty Twilight Qualifier. He
followed that with four more victories in 2017 at the CSU Spring Break Invitational, Liberty Collegiate
Invitational, Gamecock Invitational and Big South Championship.
As for his experience at this year's NCAA Division 1 Track and Field Championship, Pratt knows he
could have done better. Looking back, he wishes he had a second chance but he could feel all the
injuries after having competed in so many events.
Due to previous injuries, Pratt acknowledged that he wasn't at 100 percent coming into the competition;
early in the semester, Pratt faced minor hip and back issues. Although he went through therapy for his
injuries and felt pretty good coming into the competition, after the first attempt, the pain was noticeable.
Pratt admitted that he didn't feel good the rest of the competition which showed in his performance.
Pratt finished 17th overall with a throw of 65.19 meters. It was an amazing day for the javelin throwers,
as the competition was aggressive. Pratt didn't expect anything less from them and he was clearly not
pleased with his performance. Moving forward, he said he wants to rehab and get his body back into the
best possible condition. The goal is to compete at The Bahamas Nationals being held in two weeks and
try to qualify for the senior team.
As for the conversation with his coach following the competition, Pratt was very hard on himself, but his
coach tried to keep Pratt's mind in the right place knowing he has time to work and come back next
season and compete.
Not only has Pratt excelled at the collegiate level, he has been trying to give back to the community by
helping up and coming junior athletes. With two or three junior athletes showing potential in the javelin,
Pratt offers tips on how to improve their form and areas that need improvement.
When asked if he felt he would be pushing his limits trying to make the national team, he said at this
point, he would be but wants to put forth the effort nonetheless. If his body is not feeling up to par, then
Pratt's goals will be focused on preparing for next season.
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