"Better..stronger…faster." Fans of the 1970's TV show The Six Million Dollar Man remember those three words describing the title character, bionic man Steve Austin. They are not far from the Olympic motto of "Citius, Altius, Fortius," meaning faster, higher, stronger. Both phrases describe Sean Chmielewski, a senior captain on East Haven's track and field team, who wins events in both arenas.

Sean throws discus, shot put, and javelin, runs the 100-meter dash, and does a leg in the 4x100 relay. Competing in the maximum of four events per meet, he has scored 168 points on the season and is the Yellowjackets' second-leading scorer, closely behind fellow senior and captain John Wynne.

"He's strong, explosive, and powerful," said East Haven boys' track Coach Rusty Dunne. "He's worked all four years in the weight room and it's paid off."

Sean has thrown the shot, a 12-pound iron ball, 45 feet, and is over 120 feet in the discus. He has qualified for the Class M State Championship in shot put, the 100, and the 4x100, and is on the verge of qualifying in discus, which is his favorite of the three throwing events."

"I like it because it's like a frisbee. It's nice and light and you can really launch it," says Sean. "I'm so close to qualifying, it's ridiculous. Just a few more inches."

Sean started track his sophomore year and has been sprinting and throwing since. Last season he did the decathlon, which includes jumping events. During the indoor season, he ran the 55-meter dash, 200, and 4x200 relay. Sean credits his year-round strength and speed training for developing the explosiveness that makes him both a top thrower and sprinter. He believes training as both a sprinter and thrower has made him better in both disciplines.

"I try to keep my fitness level up and get stronger in the summer and fall months," he says. "To be a good thrower, you have to be quick. You have to be quick with the body and know how to use your strength. I balance it all out-I think I'm pretty good at it because I'm explosive, in the weight room and outside. I get out of the box pretty quick for a big guy."

Sean runs and lifts on his own in the summer and fall. He builds his endurance by running distances on the days in between his lifting workouts. In the weight room, Sean does Olympic lifts, mostly cleans and jerks, to build full-body strength and quick muscle movement. During both the indoor and outdoor seasons, Sean does double duty in practice, starting with Dunne's sprinting workouts and finishing with throwing coach Jeff Cretella.

Over the course of this spring, Sean has consistently increased his throwing distances while simultaneously decreasing his sprint times. Sean will compete in the SCC Championship meets the next two weeks and the state championship at the end of this month. His main goal is for his 4x100 team to qualify for New Englands.

"He's such a good athlete. We're considering using him in the decathlon again," adds Dunne. "At six-feet [tall] and about 185 pounds, he's good-sized but not huge. He's very strong, then you add the speed. God made him fast."