Weston Ranch High School Junior Galadriel Mellion is one track meet away from her third straight 1st place finish. Mellion will compete in the shot put and discus at the 102nd CIF State Track and Field Championships, May 27-28, at Veterans Memorial Stadium – Buchanan High School in Clovis.
Already one of the most decorated track athletes (she is a 6-time All-American and a 3-time National Champion, collected 53 gold medals and two silver medals, holds school records at Lathrop High School and Weston Ranch, and The Stockton Hall of Fame awarded her Athlete of the Month for August 2018), Mellion will expect to add to her medal count.
Mellion cruised through the VOLs to earn her place on the podium. Her shot put toss of 42’08.5 during the VOLs was a season record, and she outdistanced her closest competitor by five feet. Likewise, her discus throw of 131’04, while not a personal or season record, outdistanced her nearest competitor by 30 feet. And then it was on to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Final.
At the CIF, the competition was a little more challenging in the discus, and Mellion found herself in a strange spot going into the final round.
“I was in third place before my last throw,” Mellion said. “I wasn’t nervous because I made some adjustments in the circle. I just said, ‘whatever happens will happen.'”
Galadriel let it fly, and the disc landed 137’6 away from her. It was enough to overtake the lead, and it was also a season record. But, again, she took the podium and walked out as champion. It is a testament to this humble student-athlete and how much she has grown in the sport. Winners find a way to win, and Mellion did just that.
“I try to do better every time I compete,” Mellion said. “I used to let bad throws get me down, but now I’ve learned how to use them to make me better.”
This weekend’s State Track and Field Championships will be the ultimate test for Mellion. It is an open competition so she will compete against 22 of the State’s best discus throwers and 25 of the State’s best in the shot put. But, again, the humble and soft-spoken Mellion looks at the competition and knows it will be a challenge.
“I will be throwing against girls who’ve thrown farther than me,” Galadriel said. “Some of the competitors know who I am, and there is that pressure. However, I will focus on each throw, do my best, and see what happens.”
And we can’t wait to see what happens too.
For more event information, click on the following link:
2022 CIF State Track & Field Championships – California Interscholastic Federation
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