- 2022 Spotlight
Personal Statement
My name is Azriel Shakur, and I attend Skyline High School in Oakland, California. I am seeking to continue my passion for throwing at the college level. I currently throw discus and shot put. I have been competing in track and field since 5th grade when I joined 3M Track Club. I have qualified for the USATF Junior Olympics 5 times and competed 4 times. I medaled in discus (7th place) at the 2016 USATF Junior Olympics in Sacramento. Since 2019, I have specialized in discus, and my current official personal record is 140’7.5”. When the pandemic hit in 2020, I was an athlete at Envision Academy (a charter school here in Oakland). When our season was cancelled, I began training for discus on my own. In May of 2021, I found out that the Oakland Athletic League (OAL) was hosting meets. Even though my school no longer had a coach or track and field program, I convinced the Athletic Director to enter me in league meets and invitational USATF meets. As a result, I was able to compete in the Oakland Section Championship where I placed first in discus and fifth in shot put (even though I had not practiced or thrown shot put since 5th grade). At that time, my family and I made the decision for me to transfer to Skyline High School for my senior year where I could thrive academically and athletically. In college, I plan to further my education while pursuing my dream of competing at the collegiate level. I look forward to earning a degree that will offer me the opportunity to be successful in the career of my choice while continuing to better and challenge myself through collegiate athletics. My ultimate dream is to compete in the 2024 Olympics. With the start of the new track season, I have officially added shot put as one of my throwing events, and my PR is 42.04'.
As a multi-sport student athlete since 5th grade, I have learned to prioritize my responsibilities to my studies and my teams. I maintain a 3.4 GPA while practicing and competing on a daily basis. Over the course of my high school career, I have also played basketball, club volleyball, and now am on the Skyline football team (playing defensive end and tight end) and boys volleyball team. I have a strong work ethic that I know will be an asset to any team I am invited to join. I will always give 100% to meet or exceed your expectations.
