The stadium lights reflect off the 1.6-kilogram metal shot as it lay in senior Micah Au-Haupu’s powdered hand. The stands suddenly grew silent as he stepped into the ring of the shot put range to set his feet. Au-Haupu wound up and spun his body, releasing the shot into the air, where it landed past the 40-meter mark. One look at his dad assured him that he had performed well, and Au-Haupu definitely wasn’t disappointed.

Senior Micah Au-Haupu finished his last Maui Interscholastic League Track and Field season April 28 at War Memorial Stadium with a first-place medal in boys shot put and second place in boys discus.

Au-Haupu has trained since he was 13 years old in the field throwing events and he’s had “[his] one and only true coach”: his father Hendricks Haupu Sr., also his biggest influence in the sport.

“He is my coach no matter who my [school] coach is,” Au-Haupu said.

In 2014, Micah threw a record 40-foot distance in shot put at a Kiwanis Track and Field meet and still holds that record today. He said his freshman year in football helped him become the best thrower he could be.

“The motivation I had came from me wanting to beat the guy above me. I told my dad that I needed to beat the guy above me, and he encouraged me and helped me until I threw past this guy’s distance,” he said.

For the past two years, Au-Haupu has traveled to other islands and even the mainland to train with Olympic coaches and athletes.

His throwing improved from his freshman to senior year with his longest distance in shot put being 52′ 5″ and longest distance for discus at 155′ 1″.

During this 2018 Track and Field season, Au-Haupu traveled to Oʻahu for two meets: Annual Punahou Relays and Ruby Tuesday’s Invitational, where he earned two medals before competing in his last MIL Track and Field meet.

Au-Haupu came in second place for boys discus with Lahainaluna’s Apakasi Felemi taking the first-place gold medal. The day before, Au-Haupu threw over 50 feet in the boys shot put event.

He has signed to attend college at Saint Martin’s University in Washington for track and field throwing events. He hopes to train harder until he can throw at an Olympic level.

Au-Haupu, along with twelve other Kamehameha Schools Maui track and field athletes, qualified for the 2018 Island Movers Track and Field Championships May 11-12 on Oʻahu.