Island athletes leave mark at Canadian Olympic track and field trials Meet wraps up on Sunday Cleve Dheensaw Jun 29, 2024 9:30 PM Jun 29, 2024 10:16 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Nanaimo's Ethan Katzberg punched his ticket to Paris at the Canadian Olympic track and field trials. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Bernat Armangue Listen to this article 00:03:46 The qualifiers at the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic track and field trials in Montreal are presented oversized, cardboard commemorative Air Canada tickets to Paris. Two of the biggest hopes from the Island for the 2024 Olympic Games, Ethan Katzberg of Nanaimo and Nate Riech of Victoria, accepted theirs with broad smiles this weekend after winning their events in convincing fashions.
Defending world-champion Katzberg won the men’s hammer with a national-championship meet record of 82.60 metres with Rowan Hamilton of Richmond second at 75.83 metres and Adam Keenan of Victoria third at 72.
89 metres. Katzberg looks on form heading into the Olympics as his throw at nationals approached his 84.38 metres from April in Nairobi, Kenya, which was the farthest hammer throw in 16 years and the ninth longest all-time.
It continued his relentless climb that began with the silver medal in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and continued with gold medals in 2023 at the world championships in Budapest and Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile. “We’re taking it day by day and just .