By Matt Gade
605 Sports

STURGIS — As a freshman, Sturgis’ Levi Brant seemed to be a natural in the javelin event. Giving the implement a season-best throw of 152-8 while finishing 14th at the state meet.

Then, heading into his sophomore campaign, Brant thought he was going to have his breakout year. But the Scooper struggled to improve as much as he had hoped. 

While he still got better, throwing for a season’s best 164-9 and finishing third at the state meet, Brant knew he could do better.

Now in his junior campaign, the Scooper has the state's best mark of 188-0 with his eyes on the gold medal and a chance at the state javelin record of 196-3 set in 2024 by Sioux Falls Lincoln’s Jack Smith.

“Freshman year, I just picked it up because my dad did it. And ended up going 152,” Brant said. “And sophomore year, I didn't do as well. So my sophomore summer, I put the work in and now I'm seeing results.”

Standing among the final group of throwers, Brant doesn’t stand as tall or necessarily have the longer arms as his peers, but he has the strength and technique down.

Brant also said he likes it when people don’t realize he can make the javelin soar through the air.

“I think the other guys are a little intimidating, but I think I can use that as an advantage to myself, because they think this kid is tiny,” Brant said.

During the summer between his sophomore and junior year, Brant went and competed in the Nike Outdoor Nationals at the University of Oregon. Brant finished 35 nationally with a 141-02.

While he didn’t throw as well as he would have liked, Brant said it was a big learning experience for him and when he realized he needed to put the work in the off-season too.

“We got to see some pretty good kids at Nike nationals, and we got to talk to them, and their training styles and just kind of replicated what they were doing,” Brant said. “They motivated me to do the same.”

With less than three weeks to go til the state meet in Sioux Falls, Brant has two main goals with an added-bonus goal.

Brant wants the gold medal first and then his name atop the state record book, where he is currently seated second.

The bonus goal is that if he were to break the state record, he’d break his dad, Mike’s, high school record of 193 feet when he competed in high school back in Utah.

Mike is also Levi’s coach and has been working with him since he picked up the javelin and whom Levi attributes his success to.

“This year, we put in a lot of work in the off season, lifting weights, throwing medicine balls, and just working on throwing through the point more this year,” Levi said.

As a junior, Brant knows this isn’t his only chance at the state record, but said he wants it and to re-break it in his senior campaign. 

But for now, Brant’s number one goal is to come away with the gold medal and then the state record, including beating his dad’s record as a personal bonus.