OFSAA gold
Three local athletes on top of their game in track and field
BELLEVILLE — Alissa Melvin and Tamara Grahovac opened the door and others soon followed them through.
Waterloo Region athletes were on top of their games Friday at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations track and field championships, including three gold-medal performances on the second day of action at Bruce Faulds Track.
Melvin and Grahovac got things rolling by finishing first and third respectively in the senior girls’ triple jump competition. Melvin, who is off to Oregon State University later this year, won with an 11.90-metre jump and Grahovac topped out at 11.54m on her first attempt.
“It’s an overwhelming thing, I’m so excited.
“The last two years, I’ve come second in my event. So this is my final year before I get out of here, and I’m an OFSAA gold medallist. I’ve never been able to say that before, so it’s really nice,” said Melvin, who’ll compete in the long jump Saturday.
Grahovac was hoping for silver, but was satisfied with bronze, especially considering she is a Grade 11 student who will have another shot at winning gold.
“Coming in, I knew that Alissa Melvin is a very talented jumper and I expected gold from her. So I thought: ‘You know what, if I come out here and execute, that’s all that matters,’” said Grahovac, who also won bronze in the junior girls triple jump last year and was second in the long jump.
Both athletes said the unseasonably-cool temperatures and unpredictable gusts of wind had a negative affect on the competition. Melvin broke the OFSAA West record with a 12.12m performance last week and had hopes of surpassing that in her final high school meet.
“It’s kind of frustrating, it really is, you’re trying to hit certain numbers and you come in seeded something and you’re like: ‘OK, let’s go out there and hit that, let’s go farther than that.’
“Obviously the conditions were better at OFSAA West, but it affects everyone the same,” she said.
Melvin still has the long competition to look forward to. But with her main focus on the triple jump this year, she said we will take a “whatever happens, happens” approach to that event.
St. Benedict’s Alexandria Webb struck gold in the midget girls’ javelin competition and came within a whisker of setting an OFSAA record in the process. Webb’s penultimate attempt sailed an impressive 40.78m, almost nine metres ahead of the second-place finisher, and was just behind the current standard of 41.52.
“I was feeling it this morning, my arms felt good, my legs felt good … and when I got here, my technique, my form, it was there,” said Webb.
Ryan Taylor of Huron Heights also earned a gold medal, winning the senior boys’ triple jump with a 14.51m effort on his third attempt.
The future Central Michigan University student fouled four of six tries as he attempted to reach 14.90m and achieve the qualifying standard needed to be part of Canada’s team at July’s Junior Pan American Games in Peru.
“I’m happy with the result, but I just couldn’t find the board today, faulting just barely,” he said.
“They were big jumps, but I still have a month to qualify for Pan Ams and that’s the major goal this year.”
Sevanne Ghazarian of St. Benedict took bronze in a blazing fast senior girls’ 1,500 m race and John Fish of Sir John A. Macdonald won silver in the senior boys 1,500 m race.
Laura Parkinson of London’s Catholic Central set a Canadian interscholastic record in winning the senior girls’ race in 4:21.72 and Ghazarian was just behind at 4:24.16. Ghazarian is a favourite in Saturday’s 3,000m race after setting an OFSAA West record last week.
Fish was satisfied with his result, especially after barely making it into the final. The future Harvard man tripped over a competitor during Thursday’s heat and initially failed to qualify. SJAM officials launched an appeal and it was later ruled he could race in final.
“I’m very glad they made that decision, it was the right decision, and it all worked out for me,” said Fish.
St. David’s team of Mackenzie Denomme, Mikayla Schnarr, Hannah Blair and Jordyn Waters won silver in the senior girls’ 4x100m relay.
Adam Exley of Resurrection was second in the junior boys’ 100m hurdles and Justine Hodson took bronze in the day’s final event, midget girls’ pole vault.