Al Cantello

The highlight of Al Cantello’s athletics career came in June 1959 at the Compton Invitational when he broke the world javelin record with his all-time best throw of 86.04 (282-3). Cantello also won the AAU title in 1959-60, and won a bronze medal at the 1959 Pan American Games. He was world ranked #4 in both years. Helping to support his family, Cantello worked for two years after high school, but then earned a scholarship to LaSalle University in Philadelphia, graduating in 1955, where he won four consecutive Mid-Atlantic Conference javelin titles, also winning the javelin event three times at the IC4As and the Penn Relays (1953-55).

Cantello became a renowned track coach, coaching for over 50 years at the US Naval Academy (Annapolis), retiring in 2018. He was three times named Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year, and in 2013 inducted into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Coaches Hall of Fame.

Personal Best: JT – 86.04 (282-3) (1959).