In the track and field sport of hammer throw, two Canadian athletes are currently dominating the world stage.
There’s a third who hopes to be hot on their heels one day, but is currently headed for Hawaii.
Camryn Rogers and Ethan Katzberg, both from B.C., are world champions and are contenders for medals at the Paris Olympics this summer.
Hoping to follow in their footsteps is Elise Drake of Kelowna who recently topped the under-20 field at the recent national track and field championships.
The championships ran June 26-30 in Montreal — which is where Drake, 17, made a gold-medal winning throw of 51.51 metres. The silver medallist, Sophia Saldutto of Ontario, had a throw of 51.18.
In senior women, Rogers crushed the field with a throw of 75.05 metres. Kaila Butler of Kamloops was second at 66.39 metres.
But back to Drake.
The Kelowna Secondary School graduate has been throwing the hammer since she was nine years old. Her goal is to compete in the 2032 Olympics in Australia.
Drake has a good shot at getting there — she recently nailed down a full scholarship to the University of Hawaii.
So, this winter, while we’re shovelling snow in the Okanagan, Drake will be hurling hammers in Maui.
“Hammer throw is a very specialized event,” said Drake, “and it’s hard to find a coach in your area that’s knowledgeable.”
As to how she got into hammer throw in the first place, Drake said, “I just kinda picked it up as a little bit of a hobby when I was younger. But now to see I’ve gone this far is pretty crazy.”