Imago
Source: Instagram/Sam Mattis
Imago
Source: Instagram/Sam Mattis
For 44 years, one record has stood tall, making it look untouchable. Ben Plucknett set it in 1981 and came agonisingly close to breaking it two years later, only to fall short eventually. Since then, while athletes have come close, no American has been able to break it. But now, 44 years later, an Olympian has finally ended the curse, making him and his achievement a big talking point.
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After his 14th-place finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics, few expected Sam Mattis to throw a personal best and a US record of 72.45m on his second throw in men’s discus. It shattered Ben Plucknett’s 44-year-old record by almost 0.11m after he threw 72.34m in 1981.
Coincidentally, Mattis broke the American record at Ramona, Oklahoma, where geography apparently features massive headwinds that provide incredible lifts. After all, Mykolas Alekna’s world record of 75.56m was also set in the same field in Ramona last year.
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Nonetheless, few expected this rise from Sam Mattis, even if he has represented Team USA at not one but two Olympics (2020 and 2024). The now 32-year-old finished 8th at the Tokyo Olympics and then came in 14th at the Paris Games, throwing a best of 63.88m in both games. That is well off the American’s personal best, which is 71.27m thrown at the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational in 2025.
Prior to that, the closest he came to the 71 mark was a 70.8m throw at the same event last year. However, Mattis had never come close to the 70m mark prior to that, throwing a closest of 68.74 in April 2025. But the 32-year-old has steadily improved, and his throws have steadily increased, although at the 2026 Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational, the wind may have played a part.
A nearly 45-year old record has fallen 🚨🇺🇸
Sam Mattis threw 72.45m in the discus at the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational breaking the record of 72.34 set by Ben Plucknett in 1981 🤯 #USATFTour pic.twitter.com/dRod5hgM3Q
— USATF (@usatf) April 10, 2026
Coincidentally, at the 2026 Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational, several throwers lined up on the same runway with the potential to push the boundaries of what is considered possible.
Six athletes, including Sam Mattis, cleared 70m in a historic single competition first
It was a near-impossible showcase and something that nobody ever expected to happen, despite the fact that the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational has often seen records created. Mattis threw both his best discus throws ever at the event in 2025, but even then, nobody expected this. Nobody expected six discus throwers to break the 70m mark (230 feet), which is the first time that has happened in a single competition.
And while Mattis broke the long-standing US record, his 72.45m throw was only good enough for fourth place, while first place went to Olympic bronze medalist Matt Denny. The Australian threw a world-leading 242-11.
That was perhaps fuelled by the fact that Germany’s Steven Richter was right on his heels, constantly putting on the pressure. Still only 23, the German produced arguably the best series of throws in his career so far, moving into the lead in the third round with a personal best throw of (242-9).
It was, however, enough to finish ahead of Slovenia’s 2022 world champion Kristjan Ceh, who threw a national best of 238-2 while Paris Olympic gold medalist Roje Stona finished fifth behind Sam Mattis with 231-10.
Now, with the long-standing American record finally broken, Sam Mattis has etched his name into history in a way few thought possible just months ago. The real question now is whether this marks a one-time breakthrough for Mattis or the start of a new standard he can continue to build on.
Written by
Edited by
Tanveen Kaur Lamba