King of the Ring Smikle hits Olympic mark
FIVE-TIME NATIONAL champion Traves Smikle, was the toast of yesterday’s King of the Ring Championship at the Courtney Walsh Oval as he turned back the fellow throwers Fedrick Dacres and Chad Wright.
Smikle, competing in the men’s discus open, threw a championship-best 67.57 metres, while Dacres took silver with 64.49m. Wright’s season’s best throw of 64.25m rounded off the podium positions.
Smikle was pleased to have surpassed the Olympic qualifying mark on Saturday.
“Yes, I’m proud of that distance because the Olympic qualifying distance is 67.20, and to have thrown over that distance is a very good feeling. The wind was affecting the flight of my discus but, in the last rounds, I figured out what was needed. It was good to have gotten that mark out of the way, so now I can focus on the remainder of the season,” said Smikle.
Smikle added that the victory didn’t come as easy as it may have appeared, as it was a stacked field, mixed with both youth and experience.
“It was a competitive field with both Dacres and Wright, so overall it was good competition, as the up-and-coming youngsters threw well for their age,” he said.
Dacres, despite the loss, was also satisfied with his performance on the day.
“I’m not disappointed, as I just need to fix a few things. The afternoon breeze didn’t do us throwers any favours, as it was really rough. Overall, with a distance of 64.49, I’m good with that,” said Dacres.
Event director Michael Vassell said, despite a drop in the number of usual participants, the meet was a success.
“It was a good meet with a lot of decent performances. However, I’m somewhat disappointed as I didn’t get the numbers that we’re accustomed to having. But those who came had very good performances.
Vassell added that the purpose of the meet is to allow the young athletes to compete against the country’s leading throwers and make a name for themselves.
“This meet is a litmus test for Champs with no distractions while it also allows the young athletes to see idols and rub shoulders with them, which is one of the purposes of this meet. We want to create heroes in field events and not just on the track,” Vassell said.