Thrower's dreams hinge on June

PROVO — Welcome to Nik Arrhenius' month of June, where the former BYU discus thrower has one eye on a travel-packed European itinerary and the other eye on a specific distance to throw — 64.5 meters.

That's 212 feet, 7 inches — or nearly 71 yards, for those more comfortable with football-field dimensions.

That's the "A" standard for Olympic qualifying.

And that's the distance Arrhenius needs, starting this weekend, to earn a trip to compete in the 2008 Beijing Summer Games, compliments of the Swedish Olympic Committee.

He's done it before — repeatedly in practice sessions earlier this month with some of the world's best discus throwers at the U.S. Olympic training center in San Diego. His personal best in competition was done last year here in the U.S. — a throw of 65.77 meters, more than a meter farther than the "A" standard.

But he needs to throw better than 64.5 this month, in competition, as he bounces from meet to meet — in Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Turkey, Finland and back "home" to Sweden the last week of June.

No matter that he is the best discus thrower in Sweden, thanks in part to his father, Anders, creating dual U.S./Swedish citizenship for Arrhenius and his siblings a dozen years ago, with the former BYU and Swedish pro shot putter from the 1970s training his children in the throwing events as they grew up and competed for Orem's Mountain View High.

No matter that Arrhenius is the reigning NCAA outdoors national champion in the event, having thrown 206 feet, 2 inches at the 2007 nationals, move than a half-foot farther than the Olympic "B' standard of 62.5 meters, which he has surpassed eight times.

No, Swedish Olympic track officials want him to reach the "A" standard a time or two during June and couple that with some good throws in other meets during the month in order to earn the Olympic invite.

He bemoans a lackluster finish competing for Sweden at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, where a high finish against the best throwers from across the globe could have all but locked up an Olympic invite. However, a sub-par distance of 192 feet was only good for 24th place.

"Had I would have finished in the top 12, I would have been in the Olympics," Arrhenius said.

Sweden doesn't have an Olympic trials meet like what the U.S. and other countries use to determine their national squad, so June is the month for Arrhenius to make his mark.