Hot Springs Native Todd Riech to be enshrined in Fresno County Hall of Fame
The Salish-Kootenai tribal member competed in the 1996 Olympics in the javelin
By 406mtsports.com
Todd Riech, a Hot Springs native who went on to set an NCAA record in the javelin at Fresno State in 1994, will be inducted into the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame in September.
Riech was the NCAA javelin champion that same year and qualified for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where he was the only Native American on the U.S. team.
Riech, now 52, is considered the greatest all-round athlete ever to come out of Hot Springs.
A Salish-Kootenai tribal member, Riech almost single-handedly won two Class C state track and field championships in 1988 and ’89, winning 11 gold medals for the Savage Heat. Riech also was all-state in basketball, averaging 27 points a game as a junior and nearly 31 as a senior.
After turning down college scholarships in football and basketball, Riech became a four-time All-American in the javelin at Fresno State after injuries forced him out of the decathlon. His highest international finish was third at the Pan American Games in 1995.
Riech briefly was an assistant track coach at Long Beach State before becoming a certified personal trainer and co-founding ProSport Physical Therapy and Performance in California.
The induction ceremony is Sept. 20 at Fresno’s Save Mart Center arena.