Sam Mattis Takes Down Ben Plucknett’s Steroid-Fueled AR; But Does the “Ramona Wind” Make It a Mockery?

For nearly 45 years, one of the strangest and most “asterisked” marks in the American track & field record book belonged to the late Ben Plucknett, who threw the discus 72.34m (237′ 4″) in Stockholm back in 1981. But today in Ramona, Oklahoma, 32-year-old Olympian Sam Mattis finally wiped it off the books, launching a massive 72.45m (237′ 8″) throw to become the new American king of the discus.

Watch the throw here:

 

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On paper, it’s a historic achievement. However, in true track & field fashion, the mark is already sparking a firestorm of debate regarding two of the sport’s most controversial topics: performance-enhancing drugs and the literal “wind-aided” nature of the Oklahoma throws scene.

A Long-Overdue “Cleaning” of the Record Books?

To understand the significance of Mattis’s throw, you have to understand the man he replaced. Ben Plucknett’s tenure as the record holder was, to put it mildly, bizarre.

In 1981, Plucknett massively improved his personal best from 68.18m to 72.34m, but his breakthrough became a cautionary tale. He was the first athlete ever to be stripped of a world record due to a doping violation. Plucknett broke the WR twice that year — he threw 71.20m in Modesto, Calif., in May, then 72.34 in Stockholm in July. But when a test for steroids that had been conducted on January 31, 1981, came back positive, the IAAF (now World Athletics) wiped his world records from the books in July. Yet the TAC (the precursor to USATF) allowed his 72.34m mark to stand as the American record as back then they were under no obligation to honor IAAF rulings.

As a result, for more than four decades, American discus throwers have been chasing a “ghost” mark set by a man who tested positive in January before throwing a series of world records later that season. From a “clean sport” perspective, Mattis’s mark is a massive upgrade. As I wrote on the message board: “I’d rather see a wind-aided American record than a doped record.”

The “Ramona” Factor: Is it Doping by Weather?

While Mattis — a 2016 University of Pennsylvania graduate — is a respected veteran with a long, consistent career (two-time Olympian, 2015 NCAA champ, 2019 and 2023 US champ), the location of the record has to be discussed. Ramona, Oklahoma, has become a “wind tunnel” mecca for throwers. The geography there allows for massive headwinds that provide incredible lift to a discus, effectively acting as a wing.

The statistics are jarring. Before this weekend, Mattis’s personal best “anywhere else on planet Earth” was 68.74 meters. In the friendly updrafts of Ramona, he improved that by nearly four meters.

But that type of improvement in Ramona is commonplace. Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna‘s world record of 75.56m was set in Ramona last year. His PR anywhere else is 72.15m. Australia’s Matt Denny broke 70 meters 13 times in Ramona last year, including a 74.78m mark that makes him the 2nd-farthest thrower in history. Denny has only broken 70m once in his life outside of Ramona. On Thursday in Ramona, Mattis only placed fourth as Denny won yet again with another 74+ meter throw (74.04). *Full results

This brings up a glaring inconsistency in World Athletics rules. If a 100m sprinter has a 2.1 m/s tailwind, their record is invalidated. If a long jumper catches a breeze, it doesn’t count. Yet a discus thrower can utilize a gale-force wind to add 15 feet to a throw, and it’s treated the same as a mark made in a dead-still stadium in Zurich.

Does that make any sense? No.

The Verdict

Ideally, the record books would reflect who best maximized human potential in a given event and they’d be comparable across eras and venues. The “Ramona Wind” clearly presents a huge problem on that front. Of course, so does the dirty legacy of steroids on the sport.

At 32 years old, Mattis has paid his dues in the circle for over a decade. Today, he played by the current rules, found the right conditions, and executed a massive throw. Taking down a 40-plus-year-old record — especially one tied to the steroid era — is a win for the sport, even if the wind helped carry it into the history books.

What do you think? Does the discus need wind requirements? Was USATF right to keep Plucknett’s mark for so long? Tell us what you think on our world-famous message board at letsrun.com/forum:

• Sam Mattis breaks 43-year-old doped up US discus record, 72.45 in Ramona
• The throws should have wind limits like sprints for records – Why don’t they?

More on Plucknett’s Controversial American record:

• Washington Post – July 13, 1981: U.S. Discus Thrower Banned for Life
• NY Times – July 14, 1981: PLUNKETT, HOLDER OF DISCUS RECORDS, BARRED ON DRUG USE
• AP   – July 29, 1981: BANNING OF PLUCKNETT CALLED UNFAIR BY PEERS