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BC's Trey Henderson breaks national youth record in men's hammer throw at Legion National Track and Field Championships
August 9, 2005
Trey Henderson's dream is to one day play professional football but he showed Saturday he has plenty of talent in the hammer throw as he broke the Canadian youth record in the event at the Legion National Track and Field Championships.
Henderson, 15, uncorked a 65.53 metre toss on his fifth of sixth throws to win the gold medal. He beat the previous youth mark of 63.40 metres set by Jim Steacy of Lethbridge, Alta., in 2001. Steacy won the national senior title a couple of weeks ago in Winnipeg.
"That was a lot better than I was expecting but my throws have been improving all summer long," said Henderson, who improved his personal best by three metres. "The key was just being relaxed and focusing on the little things to get there and putting all that I learned together to get that big throw."
Henderson only started the hammer throw two years ago.
"You have to be really dedicated to the hammer throw to have success, it takes a lot of practice," said Henderson. "Football is still my main priority but hammer is a sport that's very fulfilling for me and I don't want to give it up anytime soon."
In women's javelin Elizabeth Gleadle of Vancouver broke a 19-year-old meet record to win the gold with a 45.89 metre throw. Gleadle broke the Canadian youth record last month throwing 50.53 at the world youth championships in Morocco placing fifth for Canada's best result of the competition.
The Legion event is regarded as the national youth championships in track and field and is an event where future track and field stars make their first big impact nationally. More than 330 athletes are competing here.