Former Chippewa Eyes A Medal In Tokyo

Alex Rose got the participation trophy. Now he's legitimately set his sights on some real hardware.

Rose, a former Central Michigan track & field athlete, is in Tokyo for the Olympics where he will represent Samoa in the discus. It will be his second trip to the world's biggest athletic stage after his 29^th-place finish in the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. He served as the flag bearer during the opening ceremonies over the weekend.

"The biggest takeaway from the 2016 Olympics was how important it is to take care of your body," said Rose, 29, who lives in Grand Rapids with his wife, Samantha (Stein), a former CMU high jumper. "I was very lucky to have qualified for those Games. I had one throw over the then-standard of 65 meters and I qualified late in the season.

"I was just very happy to be there, to have earned the right to compete at the Games. I knew it would be a longshot to make the final or even come close to earning a medal."

Today, Rose is a contender. He is ranked seventh in the world with a career-best throw of 67.48 meters, which came in May during a meet at the University of Arizona. It marked the third time this season that Rose has surpassed 67 meters. At the 2016 Games in Rio, the bronze medalist finished at 67.05, the gold medalist at 68.37.

Rose departed for Tokyo on July 21; the discus is slated for July 30-31. The field comprises 32 throwers. The top 12 throws in the first round advance to the finals. Rose is vying to become the first former CMU athlete to earn an Olympic medal since Dan Majerle helped the USA men's basketball team to a bronze in 1988 in Seoul.

"I think about it all the time," Rose said of his medal possibilities. "I think there's a good balance between visualizing yourself in that position where you are succeeding and you are winning that medal, and also not putting too much pressure on yourself.

"I go in with the mindset that if I have a good day, I can win a medal. But no matter what happens, I'm going to leave the ring knowing I tried my best."

Rose qualified for the Tokyo Games in 2019; the Games were postponed last summer because of COVID. After qualifying two years ago, he took a sabbatical from his job as technical sales engineer for an automation firm. He continued his sabbatical when the Games were postponed for a year.

That flexibility has been key for Rose, who trains at both Grand Valley State and Calvin universities.

"It helps if you have a great support structure – my wife and my family and my coach and my teammates," he said. "I'm just truly lucky to have the type of environment."

Rose, who hails from West Branch, earned a degree in English with a concentration in creative writing from CMU in 2014. He earned All-America honors in 2011 when he placed fifth in the discus at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. He competes internationally under the flag of Samoa, the homeland of his father, Ross.

Rose has steadily increased his throwing distance since his arrival at CMU in 2010, when his best throw measured 57.51 meters.

A combination of work, persistence, determination and health, Rose said, have helped him get to where he is today.

"I attribute my progress entirely to consistency," he said. "I've learned that in order to get better at something, you have to be bad at it first. You have to keep trying over and over and over, every day, and always do the little things right before you'll see any progress. If you stay strong and steadfast, you'll surprise yourself."

Rose underwent surgery 10 months ago to repair muscle tears in his abdomen and groin.

The rehabilitation consisting of stretches and core-strengthening has him "in the best shape of my life," he said. "I think in particular stretching and rolling out my muscles and loosening up my muscles has been pivotal to staying healthy. I probably spend twice as much time doing mobility as I used to do."

That flexibility may come into play for Rose when and if he bows to accept a medal in Tokyo.

Central Michigan University Athletics

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