After ‘10-minute pout’ following her first event, Central Catholic’s Kyeese Hollands redeems herself in major way, launching 6-foot PR to win Jesuit Twilight Relays javelin title

“I tried to look at the bright side and was like, ‘Well, let me get ready for my next event and just win that.’”

René Ferrán | May 2, 2022

After ‘10-minute pout’ following her first event, Central Catholic’s Kyeese Hollands redeems herself in major way, launching 6-foot PR to win Jesuit Twilight Relays javelin title /

By René Ferrán | Photo by Taylor Balkom

Kyeese Hollands knew she had a big javelin throw in her.

She just didn’t expect Friday at the Jesuit Twilight Relays to be the day it emerged.

In the third round of the prelims, the Central Catholic junior popped a throw of 149 feet, 8 inches — a 6-foot personal best and good enough to win the competition by more than 14 feet.

“The rain and everything made everyone iffy,” she said. “I just wanted to go out and have fun, and what happens, happens.”

As if Hollands needed any added motivation for the javelin, she found it an hour earlier when, as the state leader in the discus coming into the meet, she finished a disappointing second in the event.

“My discus has been very consistent this year,” she said. “This was probably only my second bad meet with the disc this season. So, I had a 10-minute pout, but then I tried to look at the bright side and was like, ‘Well, let me get ready for my next event and just win that.’”

Hollands got a good throw off in the first round — a 133-10 that had her comfortably into the finals. That allowed her to relax for her big throw, which moved her to 32nd on the all-time state list.

Jesuit Twilight Relays 2022 Taylor Balkom 30

“You know, when you’re in the finals, it might stress you out, trying to pass people, and when you’re ahead, you have to worry about somebody passing you,” she said. “So, just being relaxed helped.”

It also helped that her release point, something she’d struggled with this season, was “spot-on” on her first two throws.

“My footing was just a little off,” she said. “Once I fixed it after my second throw, and I knew I had the position, and I just launched it. I knew it was in the 140s, but I didn’t think it would be 149. It was just amazing.”