Gabi Pifano has long believed that she had the ability to be one of the state’s top throwers. Wednesday, the Kearny senior proved without a shadow of a doubt that she is one of the state’s best.
At Wednesday’s NJSIAA State Outdoor Track Meet of Champions in Pennsauken, Pifano became the first athlete from Kearny to medal at MOC in more than 20 years when she took eighth in the Shot Put with a throw of 39-07.25.
The performance capped off an incredible turnaround for Pifano, who due in large part to an ankle injury suffered late in indoor season didn’t even hit the 35-foot mark until the North Jersey, Section 1, Group Championships, less than three weeks prior.
“I always knew I had the potential, I just wasn’t there yet,” said Pifano. “I don’t think I would’ve seen myself come this far after the (regular) season I had, but I knew I had to try.”
“She seemed pretty comfortable (heading into MOC),” Kearny head coach Al Perez said. “She’s been in a lot of big meets and then at that point we told her, you’re playing with house money here and just go out and then enjoy it,”
Pifano, who was placed in the second group of throwers based on her performance in the Group 4 Championships. It didn’t take long for Pifano to grab everyone’s attention, when on her first attempt, she threw the 39-07.25, which was more than a foot longer than her previous one just a few days prior.
“It was a goal I’ve been trying to hit all season,” Pifano said. “I knew the throw was going to be good once I entered into the circle. When I heard the mark, I started jumping up and down and ran to Coach (Scot Weaver).”
“I just saw it in her eyes. She was focused and confident,” said Weaver, Kearny’s throwing coach. “There was no drama in her eyes, no rattled, no anxiety, just let’s go.”
After two more strong throws, Pifano held first place by herself heading into the final group of 10. From there she had to endure the agonizing wait to see if her score would remain in the top eight and earn a spot in the medal round.
Once there, Pifano had three more throws, one of which clipped the 39-foot mark.
“The coaches and I were holding our breaths counting each throw and writing it down to see if I made it or not,” Pifano said. “At some points, I thought it was over and wouldn’t make it. I had never felt so anxious before!”
“It was just great,” Weaver said. “It was great to see her have fun with the sport. It’s rewarding.”
It was the kind of reward Pifano would have had trouble envisioning weeks earlier. While she was able to continue competing despite the ankle injury, she clearly wasn’t herself and the results showed that.
Even though her throws were in the low 30s, they were strong enough to win the HCTCA Relays and the South Hudson Championship titles.
During the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 Championships on May 16-17, Pifano set a new personal record in the Shot Put at 35-06.75, to medal in the event as well as in the Discus and Javelin.
Pifano took gold in the Javelin and Shot Put, and silver in the Discus the following weekend at the Hudson County Championships.
Then, on May 31, the second day of the Group 4 Championships, Pifano enjoyed her breakthrough moment when she threw a school record distance of 38-06.00 to secure a spot in the final group and earn one of 30 spots for Meet of Champions.
“The past weeks have been exhilarating and very exciting!” said Pifano, who will throw at East Stroudsburg University next season. “I have never felt so alive in my training and competing. It’s such a different experience when all of the training and practices start to go right and it brings you to the higher levels of competition.”
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)