HAMMERING AWAY
5/15/2025 12:10:00 AM | Track & Field
Record-setting freshman Igor Olaru ranks 2nd going into Big 12 Championship
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
In the hammer-throwing world, "everyone knows Moldova."
That's where Baylor assistant coach Jeff Chakouian found Igor Olaru, a first-semester freshman who broke the program record on his first collegiate throw and ranks No. 2 in the conference with a personal-best throw of 217 feet, 10 inches, going into the Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championship that starts Thursday at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kan.
"It's a really small country wedged right in between Ukraine and Romania," Chakouian said of Moldova, an Eastern European country that is roughly half the size of West Virginia, at 12,928 square miles.
Olaru is from the small town of Cricova (population, 10,669) and trains in the Moldova capital in Chisinåu, where he's coached by famed throwing coach Soslan Marghiev. His children, Zalina and Marina Marghieva and Sergei Marghiev, were all hammer throwers for Moldova in the Olympics.
"He was actually an accomplished thrower for the USSR back in the day, "Coach Chak said of Soslan. "So, in their country, in their city, they have a little group, and they produce really good athletes. In the throwing circles, everyone knows Moldova, because there are actually some world-class throwers that are from there."
Olaru said he tried a lot of other sports before taking up the hammer throw when he was 8 years old.
"My parents knew a coach in the country, and I went to (Marghiev)," Olaru said. "Once I started throwing the hammer, he said, 'Let's try it.' So, I tried it, and it went well. I started competing, and there is one of my teammates who is better . . . who was better than me. And I said, 'No, I cannot lose to him.' I started working harder and harder, so I was the best in the country."
While his dream was to go to a school in the U.S., Olaru said he "never thought" he'd get the chance to compete at the NCAA Division I level. But when Coach Chak "hunted" and contacted him in Moldova, "we created a deep relationship, talking, and I ended up here."
"We are always looking for athletes that are a good fit," Chakouian said. "And as much as you want to have an athlete be a good fit, the first thing is talent. So, it was really just scouring the internet and looking at results, and then I kind of hunted him down. The more we talked, the more I realized that he's done really well, but there's also a lot more there. We were really lucky to get him here."
Olaru "took his lumps, took his beatings a little bit" during the indoor season, finishing 12th in the weight throw at the Big 12 Championships. But in his hammer throw debut, he broke the previous record set by Gary Moore Jr. (199-1) on four of his six attempts and finished first at the Clyde Hart Classic with a mark of 206-7.
"He just kept hammering away – for a good pun – but ultimately, he just kept working and believed in the process and what's going on," Chakouian said. "And now, everything is starting to come. I told him the other day, basically every practice is the best practice he's had all year. We're in a really good spot. We're looking to throw really far and then continue that and finish out the season."
Throwing over 200 feet in all but one of the spring meets, Olaru set the record again with a first-place mark of 217-10 two weeks ago at the Texas A&M Alumni Muster Invitational in College Station.
He's ranked second in the Big 12 behind Moore, who transferred to Kansas State, and has the 19th-best qualifying mark for the NCAA West Preliminary that will be held May 28-31 back in College Station.
"Actually, it's my personal best from all my career and also a school record," said Olaru, who owns the top six marks in program history and seven of the top 10. "I felt like, 'Wow!' it was very beautiful to feel that."
While Nathaniel Ezekiel owns the fastest times in the conference in both the 400 meters (44.75) and 400 hurdles (48.99), the seventh-ranked Baylor women hold the conference's best marks in the 200 meters (Tiriah Kelley, 22.34), pole vault (Molly Haywood, 15-0 ¼) and long jump (Alexis Brown, 22-11 ¾).
"Timewise, he probably could do both." Baylor head coach Michael Ford said of Ezekiel potentially running the 400 and 400 hurdles, "but we wouldn't want to risk that. Especially long-term, going into the West Regional and the NCAAs."
Thursday's opening-day schedule includes the men's decathlon and women's heptathlon, with the men's hammer throw starting at 12 p.m. and running prelims at 6:30 p.m.
"I'm always pretty excited about the championship season," Ford said. "To me, it's like the season is almost over. If it were a mile, you're on the third lap. So, I'm looking forward to the Big 12s."
Baylor Bear Insider
In the hammer-throwing world, "everyone knows Moldova."
That's where Baylor assistant coach Jeff Chakouian found Igor Olaru, a first-semester freshman who broke the program record on his first collegiate throw and ranks No. 2 in the conference with a personal-best throw of 217 feet, 10 inches, going into the Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championship that starts Thursday at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kan.
"It's a really small country wedged right in between Ukraine and Romania," Chakouian said of Moldova, an Eastern European country that is roughly half the size of West Virginia, at 12,928 square miles.
Olaru is from the small town of Cricova (population, 10,669) and trains in the Moldova capital in Chisinåu, where he's coached by famed throwing coach Soslan Marghiev. His children, Zalina and Marina Marghieva and Sergei Marghiev, were all hammer throwers for Moldova in the Olympics.
"He was actually an accomplished thrower for the USSR back in the day, "Coach Chak said of Soslan. "So, in their country, in their city, they have a little group, and they produce really good athletes. In the throwing circles, everyone knows Moldova, because there are actually some world-class throwers that are from there."
Olaru said he tried a lot of other sports before taking up the hammer throw when he was 8 years old.
"My parents knew a coach in the country, and I went to (Marghiev)," Olaru said. "Once I started throwing the hammer, he said, 'Let's try it.' So, I tried it, and it went well. I started competing, and there is one of my teammates who is better . . . who was better than me. And I said, 'No, I cannot lose to him.' I started working harder and harder, so I was the best in the country."
While his dream was to go to a school in the U.S., Olaru said he "never thought" he'd get the chance to compete at the NCAA Division I level. But when Coach Chak "hunted" and contacted him in Moldova, "we created a deep relationship, talking, and I ended up here."
"We are always looking for athletes that are a good fit," Chakouian said. "And as much as you want to have an athlete be a good fit, the first thing is talent. So, it was really just scouring the internet and looking at results, and then I kind of hunted him down. The more we talked, the more I realized that he's done really well, but there's also a lot more there. We were really lucky to get him here."
Olaru "took his lumps, took his beatings a little bit" during the indoor season, finishing 12th in the weight throw at the Big 12 Championships. But in his hammer throw debut, he broke the previous record set by Gary Moore Jr. (199-1) on four of his six attempts and finished first at the Clyde Hart Classic with a mark of 206-7.
"He just kept hammering away – for a good pun – but ultimately, he just kept working and believed in the process and what's going on," Chakouian said. "And now, everything is starting to come. I told him the other day, basically every practice is the best practice he's had all year. We're in a really good spot. We're looking to throw really far and then continue that and finish out the season."
Throwing over 200 feet in all but one of the spring meets, Olaru set the record again with a first-place mark of 217-10 two weeks ago at the Texas A&M Alumni Muster Invitational in College Station.
He's ranked second in the Big 12 behind Moore, who transferred to Kansas State, and has the 19th-best qualifying mark for the NCAA West Preliminary that will be held May 28-31 back in College Station.
"Actually, it's my personal best from all my career and also a school record," said Olaru, who owns the top six marks in program history and seven of the top 10. "I felt like, 'Wow!' it was very beautiful to feel that."
While Nathaniel Ezekiel owns the fastest times in the conference in both the 400 meters (44.75) and 400 hurdles (48.99), the seventh-ranked Baylor women hold the conference's best marks in the 200 meters (Tiriah Kelley, 22.34), pole vault (Molly Haywood, 15-0 ¼) and long jump (Alexis Brown, 22-11 ¾).
"Timewise, he probably could do both." Baylor head coach Michael Ford said of Ezekiel potentially running the 400 and 400 hurdles, "but we wouldn't want to risk that. Especially long-term, going into the West Regional and the NCAAs."
Thursday's opening-day schedule includes the men's decathlon and women's heptathlon, with the men's hammer throw starting at 12 p.m. and running prelims at 6:30 p.m.
"I'm always pretty excited about the championship season," Ford said. "To me, it's like the season is almost over. If it were a mile, you're on the third lap. So, I'm looking forward to the Big 12s."
Players Mentioned
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & Field
Throws
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