Kara Winger
Kara Winger in 2010
Personal information
Birth nameKara Estelle Patterson
NationalityAmerican
Born (1986-04-10) April 10, 1986
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Height6 ft 1.75 in (187 cm)
Weight185 lb (84 kg)
Websitekarathrowsjavelin.blogspot.com
Sport
SportAthletics
EventJavelin throw
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking1st (2023)
Personal bestNR 68.11 m (2022)
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing the  United States
World Championships
Silver medal – second place2022 EugeneJavelin throw
Diamond League
First place2022Javelin throw
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place2019 LimaJavelin throw
Silver medal – second place2015 TorontoJavelin throw
NACAC Championships
Gold medal – first place2022 FreeportJavelin throw
Representing Americas
Continental Cup
Bronze medal – third place2018 OstravaJavelin throw

Kara Estelle Winger (née Patterson; born April 10, 1986) is an American track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. She is the American record holder in the javelin throw with a distance of 68.11 m (223 ft 5+1⁄4 in).

Career

At the 2004 United States Olympic Trials (track and field), Patterson finished 19th with a distance of 42.60 m (139 ft 9 in).

In 2005, she won a silver medal at the 2005 Pan Am Junior Games with a distance of 50.26 m (164 ft 10+1⁄2 in).

Kara Patterson met her husband Russell Winger when he won the silver medal at the 2006 NACAC U23 Championships in Athletics Shot Put and she placed 7th in the javelin.[1] Winger told this story after placing 2nd the 2019 USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championship in Javelin to champion Ariana Ince.[2]

At the 2008 Olympic Trials, Winger won with a distance of 53.93 m. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Winger didn't make it past the qualifying round and finished 41st overall with a distance of 54.39 m.[3]

At the 2009 World Trials, Winger won with a distance of 63.95 m. At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, Patterson didn't make it past the qualifying round and finished 29th overall with a distance of 52.71 m.

At the 2010 US Track and Field Championships, Winger won with a distance of 63.95 m. On June 25, 2010, Patterson broke Kim Kreiner's American record of 64.19 m set in 2007 with a distance of 66.67 m.[4][5]

At the 2011 World Trials, Winger won with a distance of 59.34 m. At the 2011 World Championships in Athletics – Women's javelin throw, Winger threw 57.14 meters 21st place in the prelims.

At the 2012 Olympic Trials, Winger earned second place with a distance of 59.79 m. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she finished 31st in the qualifying round, not reaching the final.

At the 2013 World Trials, Winger earned third place with a distance of 55.88 m.

At the 2014 US Track and Field Championships, Winger won with a distance of 62.43 m.

At the 2015 World Trials, Winger won with a distance of 64.94 m. At the 2015 World Championships in Athletics – Women's javelin throw, Winger threw 62.21 m in the prelims to qualify for the final and 60.88 meters in the final to place 8th.

Winger placed 17th with a throw of 59.71 m (195 ft 10+3⁄4 in) at Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's javelin throw.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Winger carried the flag of the United States of America at the closing ceremonies.

At the 2022 World Athletics Championships, Winger won a silver medal, which made her the first American woman to win a medal in javelin at any World Athletics Championships.[6]

At the 2022 NACAC Championships, Winger won and threw 64.68 m (212 ft 2+1⁄4 in) which set a NACAC Championship record. At the 2022 Diamond League final in Brussels, Winger threw a area record (AR North American record), and NR US record 68.11 m (223 ft 5+1⁄4 in) in Javelin.

World championships

Winger (still Kara Patterson at the time) earned her first invitation to the world championships in 2009, while still at Purdue. Her path to the invitation was "rocky". She fouled on her initial attempt, then threw only 48.88 m on a second attempt. Her third throw went 52.02 m qualifying her as seventh out of eight to make the finals. She fouled again during the finals, but then beat the rest of the field by more than 4 m (13 ft).[7] Her throw of 63.95 m was a career-best and 0.24 m shy of the national record. She was unable to perform that well in Berlin. Her best throw in Berlin was 52.71 m earning her 28th place.[8]

Winger entered the USA track and Field championships held in Eugene, Oregon in 2011. She recorded 194.67 ft (59.34 m) to beat her nearest competitor by 14 ft (4.3 m). This throw guaranteed her entry into the 2011 world championships held in South Korea in August. Her best throw in the world championships was 57.1 point meters earned her 20th in the qualifying event but was not good enough to reach the finals (top 12).[9]

In 2012, Winger suffered an ACL injury. She returned to competition in 2013, but was unable to qualify for the 2013 World Championships held in Moscow.[10]

In 2015, Winger earned an invitation to the World Championships in Athletics held in Beijing. All 32 qualifiers compete in the initial qualification event, with the top 12 going on to the finals round. Winger's throw of 62.21 m placed her 12 only 0.04 m ahead of the 13th position. In the finals round, her best throw was 60.88 m good enough for eighth place in the competition.[11]

Winger earned an invitation to the 2017 World Championships held in London. In the qualifying round, she threw 61.27 m, good enough for 15th place in the qualifying round but did not make the finals which are limited to the top 12 in the qualifying rounds.[12]

Winger qualified for the 2019 world championships held in Doha, Quatar.[13] In the qualifying round she finished seventh with a throw of 62.13 m, ensuring that she would move on to the finals which are limited to the top 12 in the qualifying round. In the finals she improved both her position and her distance with a throw of 63.23 m, moving her into for the overall position. The fifth place finish is the best ever by an American in this event. Over the years Winger has persevered through "multiple setbacks, including a left shoulder surgery, serious back injuries, and multiple ACL tears".[14][15][16][17][18]

The world championships have been a biennial event since 1991, so they were originally scheduled for 2021, but were delayed a year due to Covid 19. Winger, now 36, announced she would be retiring after this season making this year's World Championships her last major international event in her career.[19][20] Winger is very familiar with Hayward Field, the track and field stadium on the campus of the University of Oregon, which was the location of the 2022 World Championships. She qualified for four Olympic games In this stadium, and only a month earlier, earned her qualification to the world event with her final throw in Hayward.[20] In the qualifier round, Winger threw 61.3 m which earned her fourth-place. On the one hand, it was her best ever qualifying round position, on the other hand she was 2.5 m behind third-place. The fourth-place finish qualified for participation in the final round. Her first four throws in the final round were short of her qualifying round distance. Her fifth throw  was 62.17 m which was her best throw of the day but that distance would only be good enough for sixth place. However, her final throw of the day, and very possibly the final throw of her international career, went 64.05 m, good enough to earn the silver medal. This is not only her first silver medal at the world championships, it's the only medal earned by an American in this event ever.[14][21]

Personal life

Winger was born in Seattle, Washington in 1986, the daughter of Bruce and Rona Patterson. She went to Alki Middle School and is a 2004 graduate of Skyview High School in Vancouver, Washington. She attended Purdue University and graduated in 2009, majoring in nutrition, fitness and health. She lives with fellow athlete Russell Winger,[22] whom she married in September 2014.

National titles

US Championships

YearPlaceMark
2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships1st64.26 m (210 ft 9+3⁄4 in)
2021 Olympic Trials2nd61.47 m (201 ft 8 in)
2019 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships2nd59.73 m (195 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
2018 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships1st62.88 m (206 ft 3 in)
2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships1st62.80 m (206 ft 0 in)
2016 United States Olympic Trials (track and field)3rd57.90m (189 ft 11 in)
2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships1st64.94 m (213 ft 1⁄2 in)
2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships1st62.43 m (204 ft 9+3⁄4 in)
2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships3rd55.88 m (183 ft 4 in)
2012 United States Olympic Trials (track and field)2nd59.79 m (196 ft 1+3⁄4 in)
2011 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships1st59.34 m (194 ft 8 in)
2010 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships1st66.67 m (218 ft 8+3⁄4 in) NR
2009 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships1st63.95 m (209 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
2008 United States Olympic Trials (track and field)1st61.51 m (201 ft 9+1⁄2 in)

Personal bests

Event Best (m) Venue Date
Javelin throw (outdoor) 68.11AR, NR Brussels, Belgium September 2, 2022

Key: AR = Area record, NR = National record

References

  1. ↑ 2006 NACAC U-23 Track & Field Championships July 7-9, 2006 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic NACAC results archive
  2. ↑ Kara Winger 2nd Place Women's Javelin Throw - Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships 2019 RunnerSpace. DyeStat. July 25, 2019
  3. ↑ "Athletics at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games: Women's Javelin Throw Qualifying Round". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
  4. ↑ Parker Morse (2010-06-26). "Patterson, Felix steal the show: USATF Nationals, Day 1 & 2". IAAF. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
  5. ↑ David Leon Moore (2010-06-26). "Kara Patterson sets American javelin record at U.S. championships". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
  6. ↑ Oregonian/OregonLive, Nick Daschel | The (July 23, 2022). "Kara Winger's last stand: Vancouver star is 1st American woman to medal in javelin at World Athletics Championships". oregonlive.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ Eder, Larry (2009-06-29). "Day 3: Women's Jav: Kara Patterson drops the BOMB, 209-10!, by Larry Eder". runblogrun. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
  8. ↑ "Purdue's Kara Patterson is U.S. trials Javelin winner again | World-Track and Field". world-track.org. 2009-06-28. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
  9. ↑ Oregonian/OregonLive, Jamie Goldberg | The (2011-06-26). "Kara Patterson eases to victory in the women's javelin throw". oregonlive. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
  10. ↑ "Kara Patterson wins javelin competition, but falls short of world championship standard..." Kara Patterson wins javelin competition, but falls short of world championship standard... Retrieved 2022-07-24.
  11. ↑ "Kara WINGER | Profile | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  12. ↑ "IAAF World Championships London 2017 | WCH 17 | World Athletics". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  13. ↑ "Full List: 2019 Team USA Qualifiers - FloTrack". www.flotrack.org. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  14. 1 2 Woods, David (July 25, 2022). "AT LONG, LONG LAST, JAVELIN THROWER KARA WINGER REACHED A GLOBAL PODIUM IN FINAL OPPORTUNITY". TeamUSA.org. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  15. ↑ "Kara Winger Usa Competes Womens Javelin Editorial Stock Photo - Stock Image". Shutterstock. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  16. ↑ "Kara WINGER - Fifth place at the 2019 World Championships. - U.S.A." Sporting Heroes. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  17. ↑ Barclay, Simon (2020-02-08). 17th World Athletics Championships - Doha 2019. Complete Results & Athlete Reference. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-0-244-86063-9.
  18. ↑ "Kara Winger well-positioned to qualify for fourth Olympics at USATF Trials". news.paritynow.co. Retrieved 2022-07-28. Claiming eight U.S. National titles required Winger to recover from multiple setbacks, including a left shoulder surgery, serious back injuries, and multiple ACL tears.
  19. ↑ "DyeStat.com - News - First World Silver Medal for Retiring Kara Winger Part of Memorable Women's Javelin Final". www.runnerspace.com. Retrieved 2022-07-29. Facing the last throw in a global final in her remarkable career after announcing she would be retiring following this season,
  20. 1 2 Oregonian/OregonLive, Nick Daschel | The (2022-07-23). "Kara Winger's last stand: Vancouver star is 1st American woman to medal in javelin at World Athletics Championships". oregonlive. Retrieved 2022-07-29. Winger has said she's retiring after this year. She'll compete in a few European meets later this summer, but as far as championships, Friday night was Winger's swan song.
  21. ↑ "Kara Winger's silver medal is the first women's World Athletics Championships javelin medal for the U.S. | REPORT | WCH 22 | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  22. ↑ Binder, Doug (2010-08-11). "Record holder Kara Patterson takes aim at another Diamond League meet in women's javelin". Trackfocus. Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2010-11-08.
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