Note: Photo courtesy of the Polk School District Facebook page. – KtE

Record-holding KSU Track and Field athlete Tyler Blalock sought to get to the highest level of international competition this year with shot put tosses at the US Olympic Trials at the University of Oregon in recent days, but fell short of making the national team this year.

In a Facebook posting this morning, Blalock was honored by the Polk School District for his performance at the Olympic trials, where he placed 15th in the nation among other shot put throwers across the country.

Blalock, who previously was a Bulldog, won a state title in Class 4A as a senior with a personal best, and also holds both the Cedartown High and Kennesaw State record for distance in shot put tosses in competition. Blalock also holds a number of ASUN recognitions during his college career, but was unable to compete in the 2020 season as a senior due to the COVID-19 pandemic cancellations.

The Olympic team will see the Top 12 athletes taken to the Tokyo Olympics, which were also delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Blalock qualified in the first round with a mark of 19.00 at the Eugene, Oregon event.

From the PSD Facebook posting:

With the upcoming 2021 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo quickly approaching, the U.S. Track and Field qualifying rounds were recently held at the University of Oregon. Tyler Blalock, a 2017 graduate of Cedartown High School, was one of many collegiate athletes invited to compete in the trials for shot put.

Tyler, a senior at Kennesaw State University, finished 15th at the qualifying round. Although he did not make this year’s Olympic team, Tyler is definitely a made a name for himself in the world of track and field.

Congratulations Tyler! We are #PSDproud of you! We are looking for you in Paris 2024!