JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Garrett Scantling earned his spot on Team USA.
And that earned him his own IPA.
Scantling, an Episcopal and University of Georgia graduate, is headed to the Tokyo Games next month in the decathlon. And one small way of honoring Scantling’s success was by having a new beer at Strings Sports Brewery named in his honor.
That’s what qualifying for the Olympics in a town that embraces sports success stories will do for an athlete.
The @GScant_ is what Strings calls an Olympian IPA, and Scantling got to sample a small glass of it on Wednesday as his family celebrated with supporters as a bit of a welcome home party after he won the decathlon at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon, late last month.
Scantling was very appreciative of the gesture and more appreciative of the support from Duval County and beyond.
“Having a beer named after you, it’s the goal, appreciation is the goal. You know, you put in so much hard work and dedication into your craft, and this is just the reward that you get,” he said.
“You know, at the end of the rainbow, there’s always a pot of gold. So, I know I’m not I’m not at the end completely yet, I still got work to do in Tokyo and I have a lot of expectations for myself. But just to enjoy the moment while it happens and, like I said, live in the moment and you’ll be good.”
It was local support that helped Scantling financially in his training and preparation for the U.S. Track and Field Team Trials last month. Nearly 60 donations amounted to $7,800 for Scantling, which helped him cover travel, medical and training costs.
And his father, Michael, said that the family wanted to say a small thank you to the community for pitching in.
“I’m just blessed to have the support that I do, especially for my Jacksonville family. You know just from the Episcopal High Schools, Hendricks Avenue Elementary to just everyone here and around St Johns and Duval County that just helped me out, they have been a big part of who I am today,” Scantling said. “So, it’s definitely a special feeling. I’m happy I can be home to celebrate it with my family. So, I’m definitely going to be doing a little bit of that, and then it’s back to the grind to get ready for Tokyo.”
Scantling’s story is remarkable.
He missed out on qualifying for the Olympics in 2016, finishing fourth in the decathlon trials. Only the top three finishers advanced to the Olympics.
After having not played football since high school at Episcopal, Scantling gave the sport another shot, landing tryout spots with both the Falcons and the Jaguars in 2017. But the drive to be an Olympian pulled him back in. Scantling worked in the private sector for a couple of years and started to segue back into training for the decathlon.
He was superb in this year’s Trials from the get-go, winning the 110-meter hurdles and the javelin and finishing second in the discus and the 100. Scantling finished seventh or higher in nine of the 10 decathlon events.
“What I remember most is just the lessons that it taught me,” Scantling said of coming so close in 2016.
“I mean, you know, it definitely defeated me, and I’ve been through so much over the past five years that I’m at a point where I feel like nothing can defeat me as long as I have my will and my desire to do what I want to do. And so, if I can keep that fire under my belt and just keep pushing to be the best version of myself. I think that I’m going to be OK.”