Records set at Kawartha track and field meet
Shot put, pole vault records fall as 450 athletes compete
Shotput wasn’t top of mind for Mik Wilson as he spent most, if not all, of his practice hours preparing to compete in discus and javelin.
But that didn’t stop the Grade 10 Brock High School student from setting a new Kawartha record of 14.63 metres during the annual Kawartha District Track and Field Championships at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School on Thursday.
It was a big surprise and great feeling for someone competing for the first time after just taking up the sport a couple of weeks ago.
Most of his practice energy may have went into the other sports, but all three rely mainly on upper body strength, he pointed out.
“It all works the same,” the tall, strapping lad said after getting his first-place ribbon.
Coach Matthew Elliott couldn’t be prouder of the record-breaking effort from his student and noted how it would serve to motivate a team that, being from a distance away, already has a bit of a chip on its collective shoulder.
Wilson actually set the record twice. His fifth throw, 14.6 metres, was the first to break the Kawartha record. That result motivated him to do even better on his next turn, which broke the record yet again, Elliott said.
“He was so confident that he was going to win gold in discuss and javelin,” he said, adding that Wilson may not know it, but he could have a chance at competing at OFSAA – a rare opportunity for a student from a smaller, rural school.
“I’m not sure he understands what kind of accomplishment it is,” Elliott said.
Some 450 students from 17 schools competed in the championships, which included 100, 200, 400, 800, 1,500 and 3,000-metre race distances, steeplechase, sprint hurdles, intermediate hurdles, a four-by-100 metre relay and a four-by-400 metre relay.
Students from public and Catholic schools across the region also competed in shot put, discus, javelin, pole vault and high, triple and long jump. There were also open intellectual 100 and 800 metre races, TAS facility convenor Ken Hamblin said.
Thursday’s event also saw a record set in pole vault, organizers said.
The top eight competitors in each event advance to COSSA, which will include 36 schools next Thursday, also at the TASSS field.
The top five in each event advance from that to the OFSAA East Regional Track and Field Championships coming to the INVISTA Centre in Kingston on May 31 and June 1. OFSAA will then be held at Toronto’s York University from June 7 to 9.
NOTE: See results list and more photographs from the event in the online gallery at www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com