Bryan Shin Wins State Championship in Shot Put

Recent graduate Bryan Shin closed his high school track and field career at the top of the podium after winning the OHSAA Division I state championship in shot put June 7 at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

Shin captured the title with a throw of 60 feet, 3 inches, reaching a major personal goal on Ohio’s biggest high school track and field stage. He also earned a bronze medal in discus, making him a two-time state medalist at the meet. 

“My first emotion was relief,” Shin said. “I had thrown my winning mark very early on in the competition, and I was winning from the very start, but there was always a chance that someone could end up beating me on their final throws.”

Once the competition ended, the reality of the moment began to sink in.

“I think after that I was stunned,” Shin said. “I knew I had a shot at winning it all going into the competition, but I don’t think I truly believed I would until I actually did. It still hasn’t truly set in for me, but it is a great feeling nonetheless.”

For Shin, the championship marked the culmination of four years of work, growth and commitment to the sport.

“I wanted to go out with something meaningful to prove to everyone who has invested in me that they were right to support me,” said Shin.

The championship came after a challenging senior season. Shin faced multiple injuries throughout the year, including an injury the day before the indoor state meet, a pectoral injury that sidelined him for several weeks and a lingering back injury that made lifting difficult.

The postseason was the first point in the season when Shin felt fully healthy. To prepare for the state meet, he focused on building explosiveness through jumping and sprinting and emphasizing high-intensity throws.

Mentally, he tried to keep the meet in perspective.

“I went into the state meet telling myself it was just another meet,” Shin said. “I made it a point to do fun things, like hanging out with my friends once in a while before the meet, to relieve my nerves and focus more on execution and my performance than the magnitude of the competition.”

Shin’s state title was part of a standout day for Solon track and field. Solon athletes medaled across 13 events at the OHSAA Division I State Track and Field Championships, with Comets reaching the podium in throwing, sprinting, hurdles, relays, and jumping events.

Other notable performances included junior Samantha Singleton earning silver in long jump and bronze in the 100-meter dash. The girls team placed sixth in the state, and the boys team placed seventh.

Shin said the team’s camaraderie, drive and leadership under head coach Dan Iwan are what make Solon track and field so special. “Solon track and field is an amazing program,” Shin said. “We truly have one of the most talented all-around teams in the entire state.”

He also credited throws coach Cole Dean with helping build a strong and competitive throws program, where athletes pushed one another to improve throughout the season. “To have this many amazing throwers on one team embodies the culture of success that this program has upheld through its history,” Shin said.

Beyond the medals and marks, Shin said track and field taught him the value of consistency and passion. “This sport has taught me the power of doing the thing you love,” Shin said. “I fell in love with this sport my freshman year and showed up and threw almost every single day, not because of what I wanted to achieve, but because I simply liked doing it.”

That lesson, he said, is something he hopes to carry with him beyond high school. “I think the value of focusing on the process and forgetting the outcome is something I learned firsthand from the sport,” Shin said.

Shin will attend Dartmouth College in the fall, where he will continue competing as a member of the track and field team. He expressed gratitude to his family, friends, teammates and coaches for encouraging him throughout his journey. 

“I truly cannot express enough what they all mean to me,” Shin said. “Thank you to my family, who supported me from the very beginning, and to my coaches, especially Coach Dean, for helping turn my raw talent into something that could perform at a high level.”