| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Gannon Hazle | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  United States | ||||||||||||||
| Born | (1979-03-22)22 March 1979 (age 45) Conroe, Texas | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 91 kg (201 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||
| Event | Javelin throw | ||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Ty Sevin[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
| Personalbest | Outdoor: 83.74 m (2008) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||
Michael Hazle (born March 22, 1979) is a United States Olympian and National Champion (American javelin thrower.) Mike is also a formerUnited States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC)Combat Controller (CCT).[2] He is a four-time silver medalist at the US outdoor championships (2007–2010), before he claimed his first National Championship in 2011. He also won a silver medal in his category at the2007 Pan American Games inRio de Janeiro, Brazil.[1]
Hazle, a native ofConroe, Texas, started out his sporting career as a football and baseball enthusiast atTemple High School. He attendedTexas State University inSan Marcos, Texas, where he played both football and baseball for three years, before ending his career with a knee injury. He was convinced by his long-time friend and mentor Don Hood to try out for track and field. Hazle initially trained and competed for thedecathlon, but he decided to narrow his focus to thejavelin throw, which was considered his best event. He qualified for the 2002 NCAA and U.S. outdoor championships, where he achieved his personal bests of 67.56 and 70.66 metres, respectively. Hazle also owned a bachelor's degree in exercise sports science (2001), and a master's degree in sports and business administration (2003) from Texas State University.[1][3]
Shortly after his graduation from the University, Hazle continued to compete at the US national championships, but did not attain better than the fifth position in the javelin throw. In 2007, he reached his breakthrough season with a runner-up finish at the AT&T US Outdoor Championships, posting a personal best throw of 75.06 metres.[4] Hazle also qualified for theIAAF World Championships inOsaka, Japan, and eventually claimed a silver medal inmen's javelin at thePan American Games inRio de Janeiro, Brazil, with a seasonal best throw of 75.33 metres.[5]
In 2008, Hazle set a personal best of 82.21 metres by placing third at the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix inDoha, Qatar.[6] He repeated his runner-up finish at the U.S. Outdoor National Championships, and also, at theU.S. Olympic Trials inEugene, Oregon, with a throw of 75.76 metres, earning him a spot on the United States team for the Olympics.[7][8]
At the2008 Summer Olympics inBeijing, Hazle competed as a member of the U.S. track and field team in themen's javelin throw, along with his teammatesBreaux Greer andLeigh Smith. He performed a best throw of 72.75 metres from his second attempt, but fell short in his bid for the twelve-man final, as he placed twenty-fifth in the qualifying rounds.[9]
Hazle continued his runner-up streak at the 2009 and 2010 US Outdoor Track and Field Championships, until he claimed his first ever career title in2011, with a best throw of 78.22 metres.[10] He was expected to compete for the second time at theIAAF World Championships inDaegu, South Korea, and at thePan American Games inGuadalajara, Mexico, but forced to withdraw from the competitions because of career ending right elbow injury.[11]'
After retiring from professional athletics, Hazle enlisted in theUnited States Navy SEALs. In 2012 he was awarded a Navy SEAL officer billet forBUD/s for fiscal year 2013 but lost the billet after theUnited States budget sequestration in 2013. Hazle then enlisted as a US Air Force Special Operations CommandCombat Controller.[citation needed]
Mike retired from the military in 2019.[citation needed]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing the United States | ||||||
| 2008 | Summer Olympics | Beijing, China | 25 | Javelin throw | 72.75 m | |
| 2009 | IAAF World Championships | Berlin, Germany | 17 | Javelin throw | 78.17 m | |
| 2010 | IAAF/VTB Bank Continental Cup | Split, Croatia | 8 | Javelin throw | 73.18 m | |
