Photo by Victah Sailer of Photorun

One of the best ways to describe Reese Hoffa is as a “pillar of consistency.” Since emerging on the professional track and field circuit in the 2001, Hoffa has been consistently ranked amongst the world’s top shot putters, collecting nine major international championship medals, including gold from two World Championships and bronze from the 2012 Olympic games. We caught up with Hoffa for a Q&A session to discuss how he got to where he is today and what his plans are for the rest of 2015 season.

How do you feel about your recent throw of 21.30m (69’ 8”) at the Doha Diamond League meet? What indications did that competition give you for the rest of the season? 

The Doha meet was great for me. Going 21.30 let me know that I have big throws to come and I’m on the right track. In terms of indications, it didn’t give me anything because I will not have any more meets that require me to compete after 16 hours of travel. That meet stood alone for me as a meet to survive.

You won the Prefontaine Classic last year with 21.64m (70' 9"). What are your goals for this weekend’s Prefontaine Classic?

My goal for Pre is to compete. Who knows what the competition will bring? I know I have prepared as best I can and I should have history on my side because I’ve thrown very well at that meet for the last five years. I’m looking for the trend to continue and throw well again.

The shot put field at Pre includes all of the Olympic and World Championship gold medalists since 2006. What do you think about the field? 

This may be one of the toughest fields they have had at Pre. That’s saying a lot because they’ve had fields where an athlete could throw 70 feet and get fourth. I should have expected that at Pre they would put together incredible fields for their fans. It’ll challenge all the throwers there to throw their very best.

How does Hayward Field stack up against other facilities that you’ve thrown at?

There are very few facilities around the world that can keep up with Hayward Field.  The fans at this meet know track and field and hold every athlete accountable for their performance. There is nothing like gettting the fans of Hayward Field behind you to help push you to victory. I have had them behind me a few times and I have had moments in my career where they did not deem me worthy. Needless to say, it has been one of my favorite places to throw in the world.

You won the Diamond League shot put title last year. Is defending that title a goal for this year?

Winning the Diamond League is always a goal of mine. It’s fun for me to think of ways to stay in the game and put myself in a position to win. I’ve won two so far and I would love to win it again this year because everyone is returning healthy, which will make it extra hard.

What are some other goals for this season?

My biggest goals are to win the World Championship and be ranked number one in the world. I have won two World Championships in my career and it has been close to eight years since the last time that I’ve won one. I’m very motivated to win again because it’s an awesome feeling to say I’m the world champ.

You’ve been on Leno, won medals from the world’s biggest competitions and had tons of other great experiences during your athletic career. What has been the most memorable moment from it all?

I feel like winning my first World Championship is by far the most memorable moment for me. I think it is the only medal that I received where I cried like a baby. I’ll always remember standing on the top step in Moscow and having the American anthem playing in the background.

You were born in 1977. There aren’t a whole lot of 70’s babies in professional track and field anymore. How have you been able to stay at the top of the shot put standings for so long?

The reason I stay at the top is because I have people in the sport that say I should be done and not good enough. I love it when someone tells me that I cannot do something and I turn around and do it. Right now I am working on my legacy, and I want to make sure it so great that no one will forget the name Hoffa.

Your legacy also includes being a pretty entertaining guy with doing things like recently shooting The Greatest (Home) Movie Ever (Self) Made. Have you ever thought about going into the entertainment industry?

If someone deems me worthy of a movie, I would do everything I possible could to make it happen. I like to think that I don’t take myself too seriously. Doing movies for me is just fun and I love to make my friends laugh.

What are some of the things you do to help up-and-coming throwers through your Hoffa Throws Academy?

I offer group and individual throws training in the shot put and discus. It’s been a lot of fun to challenge myself to help young throws reach their goals in the throwing ring and in the weight room. I’ve been very surprised to have a lot of my young throwers in the discus. I had a kid improve 30 feet in one season in the discus. Really, it just makes me happy to help and improve kids.

What is the key to being a successful track and field athlete?

One key to success in track and field is health, without it you will be home watching people like me being successful. Two is consistency. It’s hard to build a career off doing something great one time. Third is passion. I love to get up in the morning and train to beat all the young thrower from all over the world. I have a real passion for throwing and when I retire a piece of my soul will stay with track and field and shot putting.