Jason Young

Jason Young (born May 27, 1981) is an American discus thrower who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics, finishing 19th. At Texas Tech, Young was a two-time All-American in track and field and placed second in the discus at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championship. In 2010 and 2011, he was the runner-up in discus at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He finished 2010 as the number two ranked discus thrower in the world, and has been ranked among the top ten in the United States six times. Early life Jason Young was born May 27, 1981. He first started throwing the discus in high school and was quickly hooked; by age 17, he knew he wanted to compete the event at the Olympics. He graduated from Samuell High School in Dallas, Texas in 1999. In 1999, he won the discus throw at the USATF Junior Olympics with a distance of . Athletic career After high school, Young attended Texas Tech University where he was a two-time All-American in track and field. In 2002, he won the discus at the NACAC Under-25 Championships with a distance of . In 2003, he placed fourth in the discus at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The next year, he improved to second place, turning in a throw of . By the time he graduated in 2004, Young had set three school records – the indoor weight throw, the outdoor discus, and the hammer throw. As of 2012, all three records still stand. He also qualified for the Olympic Trials where he placed ninth in the discus. In 2006, Young finished the year ranked number two in the country at the discus and number six in the world. He took 2007 off, and finished 2008 ranked number two and number 15. He returned to top form in 2010, turning in his personal best throw to date with a distance of and finished the year as the top ranked thrower in the US and number two in the world. As of 2012, Young has now been ranked in the top 10 nationally at the discus six times.