Yukonmaanaho makes his mark

Track sprinter McGraw breaks Canadian masters track and field record

At 73 years old, Tom Yukonmaanaho has no need for a rocking chair.

He’s too busy winning national-level medals in track and field.

The Prince George Track and Field Club member hauled in six gold medals and one bronze two weekends ago at the Canadian masters championships in Surrey.

The Finnish native was untouchable on the track in his 70-74-year-old category.

He won the 100-metre race in a meetrecord 14.18 seconds, took gold in the 200m (29.26s), and was a podium-topper in the 400m (1:10.92). He was also teamed up for gold-medal runs in the 4X100m and 4X400m relays.

In field events Yukonmaanaho won the pole vault (2.40 metres) and was third in the high jump (1.20m).

Dave McGraw of Prince George, 75, also shot up the charts as a masters champion. He won the 75-79-year-old 100m (15.30s) and was second in the 200m (32.78). McGraw was also part of a Canadian recordsetting run (1:03.17) in the 4X100m relay.

The husband-and-wife team of Kelly and Suzanne Sharp also represented P.G. well at the event. Kelly captured gold in the men’s 60-64-year-old 1,500m (5:48.52), won the 4X800m relay (13:36.27) and was the bronze medalist in the 800m (3:08.13) and 5,000m (23:03.58) events. Suzanne, 64, won the women’s 60-64-year-old race walk gold in the three distances – 1,500m (9:31.13), 3,000m (19:37.48) and 5,000m (34:10.49) events. All three of her times established new meet records.

Jim Dyer of Quesnel, 75, also posted podium results, winning gold in weight toss (11.76m) and silver in hammer throw (31.03m). Brad Frenkel of Prince George, 54, was fifth in the discus (3.60m).

Yukonmaanaho is now in Finland competing at the Finnish Masters track and field meet in Lapua. Also coming up on the masters meet calendar are the 55-plus B.C. Games in Kimberley-Cranbrook, Sept 11-15.

In other news, PGTFC member Bazil Spencer of Quesnel won gold in the under-18 men’s high jump at the Legion national championships last weekend in Brandon. Man.

The 16-year-old cleared 2.01 m, establishing a new personal-best mark.