University of Georgia Athletics
Photo by: John Kelley/UGA/Mandatory Credit
Quick Feet, Long Throws
February 22, 2018 | Track & Field, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
The first things you're likely to notice, and it's true of all those that excel at the shot put, are the shoulders and the back. Georgia's Denzel Comenentia isn't a huge man — he's listed at 6-foot-2 and probably weighs around 275 pounds; substantial, not huge — but you could show an IMAX movie on his massive upper body.
The first thing Georgia's longtime throws coach, Don Babbitt, talks about is something way different, though, something way down at the ground.
"He has very fast feet, very quick, and so if you look at the top throwers in the country in the NCAA, people tend to say he has some of the fastest feet out there," Babbitt said. "He's a very quick-footed guy."
Comenentia, a junior from Amsterdam, wasn't always a big guy and wasn't always just a thrower. Babbitt said he when he was younger Comenentia trained in the sprints and jumps. Comenentia said he also played American football, a sport with a presence in the Netherlands.
"We play football there, too, so maybe that's where I got my quick feet," he said, smiling.
Those quick feet help him move into the proper position in the ring and help him generate loads of torque as he makes his throws.
The 2017 SEC indoor and outdoor shot put champion, Comenentia will defend his indoor title this weekend at the SEC Indoor Championships at Texas A&M. He heads into the meet as the No. 2 collegiate thrower in the country — his 2018 best of 67-0 3/4, a personal best and school record, is second only to Arizona's Jordan Geist's mark of 70-4 1/2.
Comenentia set that personal-best mark earlier this month at Clemson, where all four of his throws during the Tiger Paw meet bested the previous school record of 66-7.75, thrown by former Bulldog Ashinia Miller in 2015.
Both Comenentia (17th) and Miller (18th) are among the top 20 throwers in the world in 2018. Another former Bulldog, Nick Vena, ranks No. 13 in the world.
Comenentia, who will also compete in the weight throw at the SECs and also does the hammer and discus outdoors, has steadily improved each year he's been in Athens.
"I think it's mostly been in my technique and in my strength that I've improved a lot," he said. "I've become more stable and I think I've become a little bit better competitor, too."
He came in with a solid foundation, head coach Petros Kyprianou said.
"Denzel was very, very good out of high school," he said. "We identified him as a good technician, with a lot of horsepower."
Kyprianou described the low-key and soft-spoken Comenentia as one of his squad's "silent killers." The other is women's triple jump superstar Keturah Orji, who has the American record, five NCAA titles (and counting) and placed fourth at the 2016 Olympics.
They don't have big personalities, they just show up and do the work.
"He leads by example, just goes out and does his thing and doesn't really pay attention to anything else," Kyprianou said.
And like Orji, who is also an elite long jumper, Comenentia can excel at more than one thing. He ranks fifth in the NCAA and second in the SEC in the weight throw this indoor season and outdoors, he's the defending SEC champion in the hammer throw, as well as the shot put.
Babbitt said Comenentia has the potential to be world-class in both the shot put and the hammer.
"He's in a heavy, steep development curve right now, so I don't see the end in sight," Babbitt said.
After college, Comenentia might have to choose between the shot put and the hammer. For now, he's enjoying excelling at both.
"It's a hard choice to make, but I think I'll continue to do all the events, just to maintain the athleticism throughout my career," he said. "But my focus will be on the shot put."
Staff Writer
The first things you're likely to notice, and it's true of all those that excel at the shot put, are the shoulders and the back. Georgia's Denzel Comenentia isn't a huge man — he's listed at 6-foot-2 and probably weighs around 275 pounds; substantial, not huge — but you could show an IMAX movie on his massive upper body.
The first thing Georgia's longtime throws coach, Don Babbitt, talks about is something way different, though, something way down at the ground.
"He has very fast feet, very quick, and so if you look at the top throwers in the country in the NCAA, people tend to say he has some of the fastest feet out there," Babbitt said. "He's a very quick-footed guy."
Comenentia, a junior from Amsterdam, wasn't always a big guy and wasn't always just a thrower. Babbitt said he when he was younger Comenentia trained in the sprints and jumps. Comenentia said he also played American football, a sport with a presence in the Netherlands.
"We play football there, too, so maybe that's where I got my quick feet," he said, smiling.
Those quick feet help him move into the proper position in the ring and help him generate loads of torque as he makes his throws.
The 2017 SEC indoor and outdoor shot put champion, Comenentia will defend his indoor title this weekend at the SEC Indoor Championships at Texas A&M. He heads into the meet as the No. 2 collegiate thrower in the country — his 2018 best of 67-0 3/4, a personal best and school record, is second only to Arizona's Jordan Geist's mark of 70-4 1/2.
Comenentia set that personal-best mark earlier this month at Clemson, where all four of his throws during the Tiger Paw meet bested the previous school record of 66-7.75, thrown by former Bulldog Ashinia Miller in 2015.
Both Comenentia (17th) and Miller (18th) are among the top 20 throwers in the world in 2018. Another former Bulldog, Nick Vena, ranks No. 13 in the world.
Comenentia, who will also compete in the weight throw at the SECs and also does the hammer and discus outdoors, has steadily improved each year he's been in Athens.
"I think it's mostly been in my technique and in my strength that I've improved a lot," he said. "I've become more stable and I think I've become a little bit better competitor, too."
He came in with a solid foundation, head coach Petros Kyprianou said.
"Denzel was very, very good out of high school," he said. "We identified him as a good technician, with a lot of horsepower."
Kyprianou described the low-key and soft-spoken Comenentia as one of his squad's "silent killers." The other is women's triple jump superstar Keturah Orji, who has the American record, five NCAA titles (and counting) and placed fourth at the 2016 Olympics.
They don't have big personalities, they just show up and do the work.
"He leads by example, just goes out and does his thing and doesn't really pay attention to anything else," Kyprianou said.
And like Orji, who is also an elite long jumper, Comenentia can excel at more than one thing. He ranks fifth in the NCAA and second in the SEC in the weight throw this indoor season and outdoors, he's the defending SEC champion in the hammer throw, as well as the shot put.
Babbitt said Comenentia has the potential to be world-class in both the shot put and the hammer.
"He's in a heavy, steep development curve right now, so I don't see the end in sight," Babbitt said.
After college, Comenentia might have to choose between the shot put and the hammer. For now, he's enjoying excelling at both.
"It's a hard choice to make, but I think I'll continue to do all the events, just to maintain the athleticism throughout my career," he said. "But my focus will be on the shot put."
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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