theGrio

Back to the Top

Main menu

Skip to primary content
Skip to secondary content
  • Home
  • Entertainment
    • Music
    • The Dish
  • Health
    • Ask Dr. Ty
    • Black Men’s Health
    • Black Women and Breast Cancer
    • Back to School Health
  • Living
    • Travel and Leisure
    • Living Forward
    • Books
  • Politics
    • Perry on Politics
  • Sports
  • News
    • Good News
  • Opinion

Living

USA Women’s hammer Olympians Amber Campbell and Jessica Cosby: Fit, thick and expanding beauty ideals

by Frugivore Magazine | June 29, 2012 at 2:41 PM
Comments
Print
« PreviousNext »
Amber Campbell 16x9
Jessica Cosby

DAEGU, SOUTH KOREA – SEPTEMBER 02: Jessica Cosby of the USA celebrates in the women’s hammer throw qualification during day seven of 13th IAAF World Athletics Championships at Daegu Stadium on September 2, 2011 in Daegu, South Korea. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Amber Campbell

BOSTON, MA – FEBRUARY 24: Amber Campbell gives a thumbs up after placing first during the Women’s Weight Throw at the AT&T USA Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center on February 24, 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Jessica Cosby

BERLIN – AUGUST 19: Jessica Cosby of United States competes in the women’s Hammer Throw Qualification during day five of the 12th IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Olympic Stadium on August 19, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Amber Campbell, Jessica Cosby, Sara Veress

UGENE, OR – JULY 05: (L-R) Silver medalist Amber Campbell, gold medalist Jessica Cosby and bronze medalist Sarah Veress pose after the women’s hammer throw finals during day seven of the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials at Hayward Field on July 5, 2008 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

- of 5

Related Posts

  • The week in pop culture: Kelly Rowland dishes on 'Motivation', Amber Rose gets angry
  • Are black women 'too real' for television?
  • Is Naomi Campbell nuts or misunderstood?
  • Amber Rose verbally attacks Kanye West again
  • 'Saturday Night Live' spoofs Obamas with 'Cosby Show' homage

From Frugivore: When I imagine track & field athletes, I have to admit, I usually tend to forget the field competitors. From the incredibly agile high jumpers to the muscular shot putters, these athletes put in as much work as any other Olympic hopeful, yet they’ll usually set historically relevant marks in comparative anonymity.

Either way, I have a confession though to make … at six-foot-six and over 260 pounds, I’m extra partial to larger women (that’s not to say I don’t love ALL women!). So when I set out to see who Frugivore’s ”Fitspiration” would be this week, I looked to the field since, like most sports fans, I’m caught up in who will make the 2012 Olympics. So fittingly, I had to put two of my many crushes from this year’s United States Olympic Trials.

So without anymore avail, let’s get familiar with two of the spectacular athletes who made our Women’s Hammer team and will represent America in London in this July.

First up we have Amber Campbell, a Nap-Town native who made her second Olympic team after setting The Trials record with a throw of 235 feet, 6 inches. She stands 5-foot 7 inches tall and tips the scale at a nimble 200 pounds.

What is fascinating about what Campbell does as an world-class athlete is that, while she clearly uses her power and explosiveness to set records, she has impeccable balance and core stability.

Just look at how she swings metal ball — weighing 8.82 lb (4 kg) and 3 feet 11 inches (119.5 cm) in length (men’s hammer is 16 pounds (7.257 kg) and measures 3 feet 11 3⁄4 inches (121.5 cm) — in a circular fashion, using the ball’s momentum to spin her violently forward without having her feet fall outside of the circle.

Although the hammer throw is over a century-old standard in the men’s games, it was just recently added to the women’s field events in 2000 for the Sydney Olympics.

A six-time USA Indoor champion and two-time Outdoor champion, Campbell is one of the favorites to medal while the third-place finisher Jessica Cosby is trying to redeem her less-than-spectacular 2008 Beijing result.

Hailing from sunny Southern California, Cosby, 30, was the 2011 Outdoor Champion. At this year’s Olympic Trials she threw 232 feet, 2 inches, capturing the Olympic “A’ standard and booking her ticket to London.

Standing 5-foot 8 inches and 175 pounds, Cosby is cut and muscular, dispelling any myths about women losing their tone once they lift heavy weights. Nevertheless, Cosby’s physique was called into question after she placed seventh at the 2011 World Championships and tested positive for a banned diuretic (usually a masking agent for steroids). After successfully appealing her two-year ban, reducing it to only four months, Cosby hit the practice field and her hard work paid off with a thrid-place finish at The Trails.

Both of these women are clear examples that fitness and health are more than meets the imagination, giving bigger young girls a template for how to turn a supposed negative into a positive. Good luck to Amber and Jessica!

Read more great stories about black health on Frugivore.

  • Fantasia Barrino
    Next Story:

    Is Lifetime becoming a network for black women?

  • at Delacorte Theater on June 18, 2012 in New York City.
    Previous Story:

    Catching up with Phylicia Rashad: Directing, acting and returning to television

Filed in: Health, Living, Sports | Related Topics: 2012 Olympics, Amber Campbell, Hammer Throw, Jessica Campbell, Olympic, Olympics Trials, Track and Field, Womens Hammer Team
  • Learn about our User Panel

    Read More
  • New Stories on theGrio

    • Venus Williams previews French Open dress Venus Williams previews French Open dress
    • Chief Keef threatens to slap Katy Perry via Twitter Chief Keef threatens to slap Katy Perry via Twitter
    • Warrant for rapper Tim Dog, despite death reports Warrant for rapper Tim Dog, despite death reports
    • Pa. woman convicted in fiance’s wedding day death Pa. woman convicted in fiance’s wedding day death
    • Mayoral candidate ‘endorsed by Jesus’ finishes last
    • First lady: ‘I have failed at things’
    • Is hip-hop finally over molly?
    • 4 boss moves to make during Memorial Day weekend
  • What Your Friends Are Reading

  • More from theGrio

More Stories on theGrio

Top News

Politics

  • Transportation Secretary nominee, Charlotte, N.C. Mayor Anthony Foxx testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 22, 2013, before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing on his nomination. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

    Anthony Foxx receives warm reception from senators

  • Obama cites new framework for terror war

  • Obama's 1979 prom photo, yearbook note to 'foxy' friend unearthed

  • Are the Obamas too critical of black Americans?

» Read More in Politics

Business

  • An elderly black couple. © poco_bw – Fotolia.com

    Black Americans retiring earlier, with less savings

  • BlackStartup.com seeks to uplift black businesses

  • Payday loans: A debt trap in disguise

  • Tiger Woods makes a comeback on the course, and in video game sales

» Read More in Business

Living

  • mcdonalds_lottery 1x9

    McDonald's can't shake criticism about nutrition

  • Beyoncé and Rent The Runway launch 'The Beyoncé Boutique'

  • Homeless teen graduates as valedictorian of high school class

  • Memorial Day staycation hotspots!

» Read More in Living

Inspiration

  • Television journalist Robin Roberts poses with her Peabody at the 72nd Annual Peabody Awards at the Waldorf-Astoria on Monday, May 20, 2013 in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

    Robin Roberts to write memoir about illness

  • Charlotte remembers 1963 desegregation 'eat-in'

  • Tornado survivor saved by teacher

  • Obama speech makes Morehouse grads 'proud'

» Read More in Inspiration

Entertainment

  • Kanye West  (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

    The top 5 rap lyrics of the week

  • UK rapper live tweets London knife attack

  • Darius Rucker rides 'Wagon Wheel' to top of charts

  • Janet Jackson officially hits billionaire status

» Read More in Entertainment

News

  • Trayvon Martin and his father

    Defense releases photos, texts of Trayvon Martin

  • Robert Griffin III still aiming for Redskins' opener

  • UCLA awarded $10M grant to study autism in African-Americans

  • Chinua Achebe honored in Nigeria funeral

» Read More in News

Main menu

Skip to primary content
Skip to secondary content
  • Politics
  • Living
  • Video
  • Inspire
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • News
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with TheGrio
  • About
©2013 NBCUniversal
Powered by WordPress.com VIP