Makala Sims, a junior at Fort Walton Beach High School, won the FHSAA 3A Girls Javelin State Championship with a throw of 38.25 meters (125 feet, 6 inches).

• Sims’s victory marks the first time a Fort Walton Beach High School female athlete has won the state title in the javelin event.

Sims’s journey to becoming a state champion began in her freshman year when she sustained a hip injury as a sprinter on the school’s track and field team. Coach Lissette Fields devised a plan to keep Sims engaged with the team by transitioning her to throwing events, starting with the shot put and progressing to the discus.

With the guidance of her throwing coach, Sims eventually took up the javelin and qualified for the state championship as a freshman, placing 15th.

As a sophomore, Sims built on her success and took second place at the 2023 FHSAA Girls 3A Javelin State Championship.

• “Sophomore year, she went back to sprinting and long jumping and kept with javelin making it to state again and placing 2nd overall out of the first flight – traditionally second flight is the better flight!” Coach Lissette Fields said.

In her junior year, she challenged herself by joining the cross country team and helping the soccer team reach the regional semifinal before focusing on the javelin.

At the 2024 state championship, Sims’s best throw of 38.25 meters secured her the title, with Rebecca Van’t Hoff of Barron Collier High School taking second place with a mark of 36.33 meters (119 feet, 2 inches).

• Sims’s teammate, Yasmin Lott, finished fifth with a throw of 35.34 meters (115 feet, 11 inches).

Throughout her high school career, Sims has maintained a 3.5 GPA, exemplifying the qualities of a dedicated student-athlete.

Looking ahead, Coach Fields has high hopes for Sims’s future in the javelin event.

“Makala is an athlete through and through as is evident by her success in any sport or event she does,” added Coach Fields. “We are hoping that Makala will be our first ever repeat state champion next year 2025!!”