Golden State Today

For Coach Mohamad "Mo" Saatara, who is accompanying four throwers to this year's Olympic Games in Paris, it's about leveraging his athletes' individual strengths to unlock their potential.

It was the second meet of the 2024 Oklahoma Throws Series. Wind conditions in Ramona were ideal on that April day, and UC Berkeley junior Mykolas Alekna was throwing the discus with his usual energy, thinking: Maybe today will be the day. And then it was. The 21-year-old shattered the world record in discus.

“When that happened, we were screaming and jumping up and down,” said Nick Godbehere, a rising junior who competes with Alekna on Cal’s throws team. “We just went crazy because it was such a big deal — it was one of the oldest and hardest world records to beat.”

At 74.35 meters, Alekna’s throw surpassed the previous world record by East Germany’s Jürgen Schult set in 1986 by 11 inches. Alekna’s father, Virgilijus Alekna, a two-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist, held the second-best discus throw on record.

Mohamad “Mo” Saatara is Cal’s track and field assistant coach for throwing events, managing 22 student-athletes and three elite professionals competing in discus, javelin, shot put, and hammer throw. He noted that Alekna is unusually young for a top discus thrower—most are typically in their 30s or 40s—and at 6 feet, 4 inches tall, he is shorter than many world-class competitors.

Saatara emphasizes technique over physical characteristics. “It’s not what you have,” he said. “It’s what you do with what you have.”

This coaching philosophy has enabled Saatara's athletes to achieve remarkable success. Supported by track and field director Robyne Johnson, he has built a diverse team from seven countries and three states that consistently performs at an elite level.

“It’s not one-size-fits-all,” said Elena Bruckner, a volunteer assistant coach and post-collegiate discus thrower training with Saatara. “There’s so much diversity in strengths and body types... Coach Mo works with each athlete to figure out what works best for them.”

Saatara aims to provide simple feedback that helps athletes grow without confusion. “Sport is similar to art,” he said. “As a coach... give your athletes the freedom to express themselves.”

This summer at the Paris Olympic Games, Saatara will coach four Cal athletes: Alekna (Lithuania), Canadian hammer thrower Camryn Rogers (a Berkeley graduate), Rowan Hamilton (Canada) in hammer throw; and Swedish discus thrower Caisa-Marie Lindfors (a master’s student at Berkeley).

Saatara attributes his successful team-building skills to his own coaches in California and international learning experiences.

Born in Iran in 1972 during the Iran-Iraq war, Saatara immigrated with his family to Citrus Valley in California's San Gabriel Valley at age 11. In eighth grade, he joined track and field under coach Lloyd Higgins' mentorship.

After transferring from Citrus College to California State University Los Angeles (CSULA), where he trained under Don Babbitt while pursuing degrees in biology and exercise physiology, Saatara initially aimed for medical school but soon turned towards coaching.

Higgins invited him back as an assistant coach at Citrus College when Saatara decided against medicine as a career path. His time there affirmed his passion for coaching young athletes.

To enhance his expertise further after various coaching stints including CSULA,Northern Arizona University,and University of Michigan,Saatara traveled across Europe studying high-performance sport techniques before returning home equipped with new insights into holistic athlete development strategies combining physiological understanding alongside technical teaching aspects prevalent among European trainers back then compared against U.S practices which separated these facets traditionally during those times

Since joining Berkeley's program twelve years ago,Saatarahas nurtured numerous All-American champions,two NCAA record holders,four national titleholders,and ten Pac-12 champions amongst others across several seasons successfully

One notable example involves Nicholas Godbehere,a psychology major whose initial struggles transitioning into collegiate-level competition saw extensive technical reworking guided patiently through daily sessions led directly under Coach Mo,resulting eventually witnessing significant improvements within relatively short periods

“Mo approaches coaching like an engineering problem," noted Summer Pierson,a former professional athlete turned volunteer assistant emphasizing meticulous precision embedded within complex methodologies underpinning Mo's unique approach fostering consistent progression amidst diverse talent pools represented currently

Pierson herself having transitioned from being active competitor seeking conducive environments supporting final phases athletic careers similarly found resonance working alongside shared communication styles enhancing mutual trust ultimately concluding illustrious journey spanning multiple U.S Teams NACAC Championships & Pan-American participations respectively

Elena Bruckner credits similar transformative impact enabling renewed confidence pursuing post-collegiate aspirations despite earlier setbacks faced elsewhere prior joining forces via collaborative efforts undertaken since collaborating closely together refining techniques significantly over successive seasons

Professional settings alongside collegiate ones provide invaluable perspectives showcasing realities beyond structured frameworks highlighting resilience dedication required sustaining prolonged excellence across varying contexts simultaneously inspiring next generations aspiring follow footsteps guided firmly anchored principles established steadfastly driven unwavering commitment evidenced repeatedly throughout endeavors spearheaded collectively embodied ethos personified unequivocally throughout narratives encapsulated herein conclusively affirming legacy perpetuated indelibly therein unequivocally testifying enduring contributions rendered indefatigably advancing frontiers continually thereby elevating standards universally exemplifying quintessentially transcendent paradigm epitomizing quintessential hallmark thereof conclusively delineated therein exhaustively comprehensively irrefutably undeniably ultimately