Local discus athlete prepares for the Junior Olympics
An athlete out of Gulfport is on track for chasing his dreams of becoming an Olympic Athlete.
Discus is a track event that requires a high level of skill, patience, and determination.
Those three things and much more are qualities of Christian Collegiate Academy Discus Thrower Sean Fairley. “My dad started me out in the sixth grade and then it was just something that I wanted to do, so I just stuck with it. Probably when I realized how good I was at it and that I could most definitely get better and then go to the Olympics, so that’s one of the reason I stuck with it.”
As a sixth grader, Sean’s approach to discus was truly natural and beyond talented. It’s evident that Sean is a true athlete and that discus is in his blood. Literally.
His father, Larry, was 4th in the nation when he competed at Hinds Community College and now, he gets to coach and train Sean through Fairley’s Track Club, ran by his father. “It can be frustrating at times, but it’s pretty fun having my dad as my coach because I know he wants to get me better.
Larry said, “Balance…that’s the key word is you don’t want to be too overbearing. You definitely want to allow him to grow at his pace and at his speed, but also being that I did it at multiple levels and went to the next level with it, you kind of understand the standards and where things should be so you can help guide him, but try not to overpressure him, but for the most part he’s a hard worker and he loves doing it, so he makes that part easy.”
The hard work ethic of Sean is obvious when you look at his resume. Sean was the number one freshman in the state of Mississippi last year and is currently the 29th recruit in the entire nation for the class of 2026. Larry said, “I’m very proud of him because you get to see when he’s just running around about three feet tall to him being a big kid now and ranked amongst some of the best in the nation and getting all the accolades, so it’s very humbling thing for one, because the process but it’s a very proud moment as well seeing him succeed as he is.”
And he even passed his dad in the books when he hit his personal record of throwing 176 feet.
Just last week, Sean competed in the regional competition in Louisiana and won first place, qualifying him for the Junior Olympics later this month. “There’s been a lot of big meets that I’ve been to like Adidas Nationals and then the Junior Olympics is of course one of the biggest meets that I can go to. It’s really exciting because you’re going to a pretty big stadium at Hayword Field and they’ve established a lot of Olympic athletes and I’ll get to showcase my skills to the coaches out there.”
One coach that’s already proud of him is CCA Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Steve Spinks. He gets to spend a lot of time with Sean because he’s a member of the track team, but also because he plays football and basketball for the school. Coach Spinks said, “Just the drive that he has is super impressive. He won over the older guys’ respect at a super young age and he’s just a fantastic young man. He’s very coachable, he’s respectful, he’s humble but he’s confident, and he has amazing genetics, but he also works hard. It’s all these different combinations that come together. He has been raised very well, he has awesome parents, and like coach was saying a great support staff around him. He’s just a blessing to be around and we’re super proud of him.”
Sean will participate in the Junior Olympics in Eugene, Oregon on July 26th through the 29th. If you wish to support his journey financially, click here.
