Colantonio's Comeback Season Includes NACAC U-23 Gold In Hammer

By Mary Albl of DyeStat 

Bobby Colantonio's inspirational journey from a hospital bed and cancer treatment toward a possible Olympic future continues to gain momentum. 

Last weekend at the North American Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) U-23 Championships in Queretaro, Mexico, the University of Alabama thrower won the hammer throw on his final attempt with a mark of 219-1 (66.78m).  

“Going into it I was the top seed (and) it was a low pressure meet,” he said. “It was good. On my last throw I used my competitive spirits to throw one good enough to win, so that was exciting.”

The bigger breakthrough happenened seven months ago when Colantonio made his return to competitve throwing and made a long-awaited debut for the Crimson Tide.

Three months leading up to his first collegiate track meet, Colantonio was all jitters. 

“I was literally counting down the days until I would be able to compete again,” he said. 

For Colantonio, Jan. 11, 2019 marked a big day that once wasn't event considered possible. He picked up the weight and made his first college throws that day at the UAB Blazer Invitational, finishing third with a mark of 69 feet, 4 inches (21.13m), a new personal best. 

“I remember that morning when I was putting on my uniform and kind of getting ready and going through my meet day stuff, I realized I didn't forget much of anything,” he said. “Everything felt natural and the same again, and it didn't feel different from where it was before I got sick.” 

Those were his first competition throws since the summer of 2016 when it was first discovered that he had a cancerous bone tumor in his left femur, which was later diagnosed as Ewing’s Sarcoma – a type of tumor that forms in bone or soft tissue. 

“The first meet back was a victory as is,” he said. “I made a post (on social media) that I kind of made that day about me, and for God as well, because it was really regardless of what I threw, or didn't throw, it was a day to rejoice, to be happy that I was back, and being able to do what I love.” 

It's been a long road back to the ring for Colantonio, but it's all been worth it as he's been able to celebrate more and more personal victories along the way. 

Next for Colantonio, he’ll compete at the USATF Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, a meet he’s looking at for experience and to have some fun, and possibly surpass the 70-meter mark. 

“It’s my first senior USA Championships, and I’ll try and take a shot at making the finals,” he said.   

Colantonio is coming off his first college season for Alabama, where he finished as a second-team All-American in the weight and hammer throw. He was the only freshman in the field in both events.

A high school All-American and national champion from Barrington RI, Colantonio was once told he would never throw again after making U.S. national teams at the U-18 and U-20 levels in 2015 and 2016. But less than a year after undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments five days a week, he was back and well enough to attend classes at Alabama.

During the 2017-18 season, Colantonio did not compete for the Tide as he was medically disqualified. 2017 UPDATE STORY

Instead, he trained on his own, lifting and throwing and seeing what his body could handle. A year later, he went back to the track team and talked to the coaches about making a comeback. 

“It feels like yesterday I was literally driving away from the University of Alabama and thought I possibly had cancer, was diagnosed, and went through treatment,” he said. “It feels like it’s a whole other world.” 

Alabama submitted paperwork to the NCAA in an appeal to restore Colantonio’s eligibility. 

“I take every day as a blessing,” he said. “I try not to waste a day. Every lift that I’m doing, every rep that I’m taking, I keep in the back of my mind, ‘Hey, where could you be right now if things didn't go as planned?’” 

August 17 will mark two years since Colantonio's cancer went into remission. He said he’s still getting back into the swing of things but has his eyes on the 2020 Olympics. 

“Realistically, if I keep training and pushing, I’ll have a shot at the Olympics.”