Brian Chaput’s lofty athletic goals should come as no surprise to anyone. “I am excited to start the 2005 season and begin the quest to realize my Olympic dream,” says Brian. “I want to medal at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing, China .”

Following a stellar high school career where he was a two-time All-American, the East Haven, CT, native and University of Pennsylvania graduate enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2003, winning the NCAA Javelin Championship with a throw of 78.69 meters, and placing sixth at the U.S. Championships. With these results, Brian firmly established himself not only as an elite track and field athlete in the U.S., but also as a world-class competitor in the Javelin.

In 2004, Brian was poised to defend his NCAA title and earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for the summer games in Athens. However, a series of injuries throughout the year set him back. Despite all this, he managed to place second at both the NCAA Championships and the U.S. Olympic trials, just missing a second consecutive NCAA title and a place on the 2004 Olympic team.

After the 2004 season, Brian set a goal to cut his world ranking of 34 in half each year for the next four years, which would put him in the Top 2 by 2008. The 2005 season started off strong, with 6 of his first 7 meets over 78m and 2 over 80m, pushing his PB to 80.45m. However, an unfortunate and untimely injury at the Reebok Grand Prix meet in NYC ended Brian’s season a few weeks prior to the US Championships and subsequent world meets. Brian underwent a highly successful reconstructive elbow surgery in June, and remains focused on the goals at hand. “While the injury came at a bad time, the rehab process has been ahead of schedule and my goals have not changed: to win successive US Championships and medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China”, says Brian. He ends the 2005 season ranked 16th in the World, less than half of his season-starting rank of 34.

“My goals are ambitious, but I also think they are attainable,” he said.

Brian’s academic performance has been every bit as good as his athletic career. In May 2004, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with honors and two degrees ¾ one in Psychology and one in Communication of Behavior. In addition to being ranked sixth all-time among American collegiate javelin throwers, Brian was named the 2004 USTCA NCAA Division I Scholar Athlete of the Year and earned Academic All-America honors for three straight seasons (2002-2004). When he has accomplished all of his goals in track and field, Brian plans to use his education to pursue a career in Industrial/Organizational Psychology or Marketing Management.

To help offset the cost of his training, Brian currently works part-time as a Project Manager at a marketing consulting firm in Philadelphia. However, financial support from U.S. Athletic Trust is critical in enabling Brian to fulfill his Olympic dream.

“This past season (2005) was bittersweet,” Brian says. “Despite the injury, I got a taste of where I can be in the next few years. I have also been able to use my down-time from surgery in a valuable fashion, working to hone technical flaws in my technique that with correction will make be a better javelin thrower. I believe that if I maintain the progress I have seen to date and minimize technical flaws, I will be in a great position to medal at the 2008 Olympics.”

Having been an athlete my entire life, I have always strove for the pinnacle of success, setting personal challenges and working diligently to meet them. That is why track and field became a love of mine from the get-go. It presents the ultimate opportunity to challenge yourself, beat your best, and restart the cycle. The fun lies in this constant chase for betterment. However, at the 2004 Olympic Trials I realized that not only does success lie in numbers, distances, or personal challenge, but in the ability to reach others and inspire.

This, my first Olympic Trials experience, had additional significance in that it was the final meet I would compete alongside my coach and great friend, John Taylor. And even better, both of us made the final which would occur the following day. I can remember spending the night before visualizing the competition and a personal best performance. However, the actual event did not pan-out as I had imagined. I could not seem to put together a good technical throw in neither of my first four of six attempts. At this point, I walked over to a calmer part of the warm-up area and told myself that “there is no other time.” This was the challenge I had made to myself… to make this Olympic team. The next throw resulted in a personal, lifetime best, and moved me into second place where I would stay for the remainder of the meet. I can remember the feeling of that one throw to this day — recognizing that it flew through the air longer and smoother than any throw that season. I was proud when the distance was announced — I had brought my best on the day I needed it most! (It would later prove, unfortunately, that this distance would not be enough to reach the international standard necessary to make the team.)

This, my first was amazing — from the competition to the ceremony and press conferences. But it was what followed that truly defined the experience and made it so special. As a fellow competitor and I were walking back toward the stands to meet our families, a young kid walked by with his mother, clapping his noise-makers against each other. They walked by my competitor and I, staring and excited. I heard his mother whisper to him, “go ahead…tell him”. Then as we were walking away the boy shouted “hey man!” I turned around first and the child recognized me and said, “Hey… I wanted to tell you that you are awesome! I want to throw the javelin like you one day!” His mother later told me how excited he was to watch the event, and how he always dreamed of being an Olympian someday. At that moment I realized how exciting this whole thing was. That boy did not care that I was outmatched that day and did not win the meet (Breaux Greer did). It didn’t matter to him; the look on his face was most unforgettable. It was that excitement that drew me to the sport when I was younger. In some way, my performance at that meet had an affect besides reaching an internal goal. In some fashion, that kid was inspired on that day, whether by my performance or the meet in general. That, in itself, would prove much more memorable, and as great a reward as any distance that could have been achieved on that day.

This, my first, I have come to see this sport is much more than just internal challenges. Competing at an elite level (even in a sport as low-profile as track) offers a chance to inspire. And even better- as elite athletes we are blessed with the tools to offer guidance through coaching and clinics, or simply sharing experiences with others that may bring them a little bit closer to fulfilling their own dreams.