Former Soldotna High School thrower Paige Blackburn was up to her old tricks with a pair of international track and field throwing victories in June.
Blackburn won the women’s discus and javelin throws at the 2017 Headquarters Allies Air Command Track and Field Championships held June 21 to 23 at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The 2008 SoHi graduate won the discus with a toss of 172 feet, 4 inches, and the javelin with a clearance of 164 feet, 2 inches. Blackburn’s discus mark was just two feet shy of her best at last year’s Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.
Blackburn’s two wins helped the U.S. Air Force to claim the women’s team title with 61 points, besting runner-up Poland, which tallied 45 points.
A three-time Academic All-American, Blackburn earned the accolade of Air Force Female Athlete of the Year for track and field in 2016.
