Sophomore Nikki Okwelogu is no stranger to success in the shot put and discus, having competed in the Commonwealth Games.

One could say that Harvard sophomore Nikki Okwelogu’s shot put and discus career has been successful.

After all, few people can claim to be a California State Champion, Ivy League Champion, Nigerian national champion, African Championship runner-up, Commonwealth Games finalist and World Junior Championship finalist.

Despite these achievements, humility stays at the forefront of the Crimson star, who admitted to being starstruck while competing internationally this summer.

“People that I admired, I was [now] competing against. It was insane,” Okwelogu said. “Looking around [at the] thousands of people in the audience, it was crazy.”

Though Okwelogu has now built a formidable reputation in the shot put and discus world, the roots to her success had a curious start.

PAGING PALAVICINI

A routine visit to the doctor’s at the age of five would initiate a crucial relationship for Nikki, as she met her future high school coach, Martin Palavicini, who worked as a physiologist.

“It was completely coincidental,” Palavicini said. “I met her mom, her, and her sister. It happened that they were in the same public school that I was teaching and coaching, so we spotted her early on.”

After tracking her progress throughout elementary school, Palavicini coached her from middle school through her senior year in high school, watching her develop into a top-five nationally ranked athlete in the shot put and discus.

Though Okwelogu excelled athletically, academics remained important, with both coach and athlete emphasizing success on and off the field.

“The main difficulty we had to face was her high standards in academics,” Palavicini said. “There was a lot of time in AP classes and scholastic work. We were very flexible to make sure she was successful at that end.”

Colleges would end up taking notice of her work ethic on both sides, as more than 80 programs recruited her before she ultimately decided to attend Harvard.

RECORD BREAKER

Okwelogu took Harvard by storm, moving seamlessly to collegiate competition. As a freshman, Okwelogu posted marks of 16.05 meters and 51.14 meters in the shot put and discus, respectively, to place her name on the record boards of the Gordon Indoor Track, a feat no Crimson thrower had accomplished in those events for over 20 years.

“Nikki’s got a great disposition and was able to make the transition better than most,” Harvard coach Jason Saretsky said. “She’s able to get the individual coaching attention to develop so she could focus on her strengths.”