Local hammer thrower sets sight on 2028 Olympics

LEHIGH, Kan. (KSNW) — The Olympics are less than two years away in Los Angeles, and one Kansas hopeful is looking to compete, but not for the United States.

From his home farm in Lehigh, Noah Jirgens had a big dream.

“Whenever I was out there practicing on the concrete slab, I would pretend that I was representing Latvia in the Olympics,” Noah said.

Noah’s Latvian heritage comes from his father, Matt, whose family emigrated to the U.S. after World War II. While both Noah and Matt were born in the U.S., they received dual citizenship, and as a result, Noah can compete for the country. The first time he put on the Latvian jersey was just last month.

“In terms of bucket list athletic accomplishments, that definitely was probably No. 2 up there, second only to the Olympic Games,” Noah said.

Noah recorded the furthest mark in the Latvian championships at 61.65 meters and finished second at the Baltic team championships at 65.38 meters.

“Watching him compete in that way gives me pride in what my family has gone through in order to get to this point,” Matt said. “There’s some pretty big shoulders that he’s stood on top of.”

Reaching this point was never a guarantee for Noah. Twice, he thought his throwing career had come to an end. The first time came when he was cut from the Fort Hays State University team.

Noah dropped out and enlisted in the Navy. While stationed in Florida, he practiced his throwing, which led to him walking on at the University of Texas at El Paso.

With a degree in hand, Noah thought he would hang up the hammer and turn to coaching, but international competitions and one final college season at Kennesaw State University kept him on the concrete slab.

“In order to be very successful at sports, you have to have a healthy sense of delusion,” Noah said. “And so, I have certainly had that.”

With a potential Olympic bid on the horizon, Noah keeps himself grounded and brings his mind right back to his backyard here in Kansas.

“Whenever I am in a competition, and I need to kind of get my mind right, I always think about my house, where I came from, and throwing in the in my backyard as a child,” Noah said.

In order to qualify for the Olympics, Noah will need several impressive showings between now and 2028, but his determination holds steady.

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