Victory at a national decathlon competition has earned a local resident the chance to compete internationally.
After finishing in the top two and making the standard at his first national decathlon competition in Ottawa in June, 18-year-old Goldstone resident, Nathaniel Mechler has qualified to compete at the Pan American Junior Championships in Edmonton.
“I will be competing on July 31 and Aug. 1 in Edmonton. My goal is to gain international experience and set a new Canadian Junior record in each of the 10 events,” Mechler stated.
Day one events include the 100-metre race, long jump, shot put, 400-metre race and high jump. On day two, Mechler will be competing in 110-metre hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500-metre race.
Each event is assigned a number of points and the athlete with the highest total score wins the gold medal.
“During competition, I focus on one event at a time. Both days are mentally and physically challenging. At the end of day one, an athlete is tired. Starting into day two muscles are tight and sore, making for a long day,” Mechler said.
In elementary school, Mechler couldn’t decide which track and field event to compete in, as he enjoyed them all.
Over the years he has competed in all 10 events and has become a top athlete in each sport.
For the remainder of July, Mechler will be training six days a week at the First Attempts Jumps Academy in Waterloo.
As a member of the Canadian National Team, he will be led by the Team Canada coach, whom he will meet upon arrival in Edmonton.
“I am blessed with a great family, coaches, teammates and the good Lord in Heaven to help pick me up,” Mechler explained.
After competing in Edmonton, Mechler will complete a victory lap at Elmira District Secondary School focusing on courses leading to athletic programs in Canada or the U.S.
“Ideally, I would like to have a career in athletics at the college or university level. Representing Canada at the 2020 Olympics in Japan would be a dream come true,” Mechler said.
