The last two weeks have really been crazy in training here. It’s been hot, and so has our throwing! Crystal’s training is really improving and it’s the right time because Canadian Nationals are next weekend. This week she achieved a new lifetime training best and it was almost better than her lifetime meet best. This result is outstanding because Crystal is the athlete that gains meters from training to meet day

When we first came to Kamloops, I remember asking Dr. B what he thought I could throw. I asked if he thought I could throw 80m, the benchmark for professional male hammer throwers. He basically shrugged of my question and said, “I don’t know, I must watch. Maybe.” But he really reiterated the “I don’t know” part. I believe that my overall talent is well above 80, so I did my best not to let that conversation get to me. Read more

Hi! It’s taken me a bit longer than I planned to give you all an update, but here it is! I competed at USA Nationals in Des Moines last week and finished 2nd with a new personal best of 76.31m less than a foot behind first. Dr. B was relatively happy with my performance, but knows, “I can more” as he would say it. 
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There is almost exactly one week remaining before my National meet in Des Moines, Iowa. Rather than bore you with numbers and thoughts about training and such, I have decided to share a story that left an impact on me personally and athletically.

The other night I finally got around to watching the English dubbed version of ‘The Throwing Pope’. I watched it initially when Martin posted it, but it was in Hungarian. But I was fascinated none the less (of course!). This video had me reminiscing about my one and only encounter with the late great coach, Pál Németh. Read more

The Tucson Elite meet held every year is as advertised! But I knew that already. Each year, the best the USA has to offer converges on Tucson, AZ. This was my second trip, but I don’t love this meet because of how I throw (more on that), it’s the athletes that have their moments because of the environment created. It’s so awesome to watch, as many are friends of mine. I won’t even attempt to list names of PR’s and other outstanding performances, as I would undoubtedly miss a few. I suggest more athletes and coaches alike need to make the pilgrimage to dusty old Tucson for this meet in the future. A big thanks to the fun and knowledgeable official crew as well. They were huge fans just like the rest of us. Read more

It’s been a while! As I sit here in the wake of having just begun my new program, I decided to get back to blogging while my muscles and ligaments stitch themselves back together again. Dr. B decided to pull a fast one on me and give me the 12kg hammer. Ouch. Lets go back in time a couple weeks, shall we? Read more

The last few weeks before moving outside, my technique progressed very well. Everything gets easier and my special strength continues to grow. Dr. B has generally come down pretty hard on me for my entry the last few months, but more on that later. Last week in training, I set personal bests everyday. Great news. Read more

Wanted to give you a “Cribs” style view of our indoor throwing and weight room. Check out the video here. Hope you all like it!   -Kibwé and Crystal

Info about the Tournament Capital Centre where our cage and weight room is located.

We finally emerged from our indoor training room to begin training outside. Even though we could have been training outside since about the middle of January, which is around the last time we saw any snow of any kind. Winters here in Kamloops are pretty mild, but this winter turned “mild” into almost nonexistent. The great thing about being outside, is obviously actually training outside and being able to see the fruits of my labor. We are outdoor athletes after all. Read more

I used to think that high volume was German Volume Training, or other programs similar to that…  Little did I know…  Everyone told us that we were going to have to be patient with the transition moving here.  We were told countless times that we might as well just treat it as a “throw-away” year.  As Kibwe and I heeded these warnings we were still thinking to ourselves (quietly) that we would just have an average year.  We never thought we would be down as much as we actually were.   Read more

An interview was posted today that I did with collegehammer.com. Check it out.

Catching up with collegiate record holder Kibwé Johnson
by Martin Bingisser

Back in 2007, Kibwé Johnson had one of the most impressive seasons ever by a collegiate thrower. He started off the indoor season by becoming the first collegiate thrower to break 25 meters. His best throw of 25.08m ranked third all-time in the world and set a new collegiate record for all divisions. During the outdoor season, Johnson won the Division II title and then continued his success by placing second at the Pan American Games and representing America in the IAAF World Championships. After the Olympic Trials in 2008, Johnson and his fiancée, former Canadian record holder and champion Crystal Smith, decided to relocate from Ashland, Ohio to Kamloops, British Columbia, where CollegeHammer.com editor Martin Bingisseralso trains. CollegeHammer.com had a chance to catch up with Johnson after a year of adjusting to the new training center and coach. Read more