PARIS, France — When you’re looking to go the distance on one of the biggest stages in sports, it helps to have a to have a team cheering you on, and that’s what Reggie Jagers III has as he competes for another shot at the Olympics.
“I’m just amazed at what he can do when he sees the odds are stacked against him,” mom Phyllis Williams said.
Phyllis has been in Jagers’ corner throughout his life, and this week, she, her husband, Reggie’s girlfriend and his friend flew to Oregon to watch him throw for a spot in the Paris Olympic Games. On Thursday night, Reggie finished his preliminary round on top with the farthest throw.
“Mom wants her son to win so it’s so stressful. I think my leg was out of control so I had to tell my leg to stop moving,” Phyllis said. “It’s very nerve racking. I’d rather put my head in the sand and come back up when it’s all over. But I need to be able to witness everything.”
Reggie grew up in Cleveland and then moved to Solon. He didn’t find the discus throw until his junior year in high school. From there Reggie’s left-handed throwing career soared, becoming a 2018 national champion in discus and a five-time all-American at Kent State University.
“It was amazing to me because I had a lot of prayer and then at some point I had to tell myself to calm down because you’ve done the prayers, you have to trust God and then God took over. And it happened,” Phyllis said.
“The excitement we all shared last night. That was definitely one memory for the books,” Reggie’s girlfriend Mallory Byrd said. “It makes me want to be there just seeing how much he loves the sport and I’m super proud of him.”
He’s overcome several injuries over the years and his friend Nate who he has known since childhood said, “it just speaks to his resilience. He is someone who picked up track late so he had to put in a lot of work in the beginning to close that gap.”
“He’s super dedicated to make sure he comes out with another strong performance and gets his way into Paris,” he said.
At 26, Reggie competed at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021. But didn’t accomplish what he hoped to. Now at 29 years old he’s representing the U.S. Army as he works to throw his way onto another Olympic team, chasing the dream with a team that’s been behind him all along.
“The determination of this guy because he’s lefthanded. The determination. You just might need to watch out,” Phyllis said. “Tomorrow will look like victory. That’s what it will look like.”
