Gregg Tafralis

Gregg Tafralis started out a discus thrower but became best known as a shot putter. He competed at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, placing ninth. Tafralis won a silver medal at the 1987 Pan American Games, and competed at the World Indoor Championships in 1985 and 1987, finishing eighth and fourth, respectively. He also competed at the 1998 Goodwill Games.

Tafralis competed for the College of San Mateo and Skyline Junior College and later for the Stars & Stripes Track Club. He was runner-up at the 1988 Olympic Trials and at the TAC Meet in 1986-87. He was ranked in the world top 10 eight times between 1985-98, with a high ranking of #4 in 1992. His son, Adam Tafralis, was a college quarterback at San Jose State University, and later played in the Canadian Football League with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

In 1989 Tafralis competed in South Africa, which was then banned by the IAAF, for which he was suspended for four years from competition. Tafralis did it because he needed money for a surgery for his wife. The suspension was later overturned.

Personal Best: SP – 21.98 (1992).