Track and field success is a family affair
12-year-old from Welland inspired by older brother and sister
There is another track star from the Saldutto family on the horizon.
Sophia Saldutto, the younger sister of successful track and field athletes Sarah and Callan, enjoyed a triple gold moment at the Ontario Summer Games (OSG) in London earlier this month.
The 12-year-old from Welland won a gold medal in all three throwing events in the under-14 division: javelin, discus and shot put.
“I hoped I could win discus and javelin, but I wasn’t so sure about shot put,” she said. “As soon as I heard about the OSG, I wanted to qualify.”
Saldutto finished fifth in the hammer throw.
“I learned that the big meets aren’t so scary,” she said. “It was
so much fun and I made new friends.
“I train a lot and miss time with my friends so it’s nice to do well after all of that.
“Next year will be harder because I will have to compete against older girls, but I will just do my best.”
Her success at OSG was on the heels of winning gold in javelin and discus and settling for a silver in shot put at the Athletics Ontario Provincial Outdoor Championship in Windsor last month.
Saldutto was bound to find her way into the sport with siblings who live and breathe the sport.
Her sister and brother serve as inspirations to Sophia, which pushes her to achieve new heights.
“My brother and sister are very good track athletes,” she said.
“We all train a lot and have to go far for practice and competitions so there is a lot of track in my family.”
Sophia and her brother Callan train with throwing coach Sean Doucette and the Brantford Track and Field Club.