Not only did Olds High School student Andreas Troschke win gold in the 16-pound weight throw event at the Provincial Indoor Track and Field Championship in Edmonton on March 1, he broke a 14-year-old event record by 85 centimetres.
Not only did Olds High School student Andreas Troschke win gold in the 16-pound weight throw event at the Provincial Indoor Track and Field Championship in Edmonton on March 1, he broke a 14-year-old event record by 85 centimetres.
The 15-year-old Grade 9 student landed a throw of 15.17 metres in the event, which is the indoor version of the hammer throw.
Andreas said he was "ecstatic" when he learned the result of his throw and the crowd at the championship knew it.
"I think the whole building heard me shouting. It’s the first time I’d ever done anything like that before," he said, adding he started participating in the weight throw event in the last year.
Andreas is a member of the Airdrie Aces Athletics club and in his four years competing in track and field events, he usually focused on running and long jump.
He said because the club’s coach specializes in weight and hammer throws, he decided to try out weight throwing.
"I did it a bit but not as much as I trained with the other stuff and then one day, I threw it and my dad measured it and he said, 'That’s a provincial record.’ So I figured I’d do it in the event."
Last month, he scored a silver medal in the weight throw at the Alberta Indoor Games in Edmonton.
The difference between hammer and weight throw is the chain between the handle and the ball is shorter in the weight throw so the ball won’t travel as far when thrown since the event takes place indoors.
There are different weights for different age classes and Andreas said he throws what the big boys are tossing.
"What I am throwing right now is what the adult men at big world-stage (events) and the Olympics, it’s the weight that they are throwing," he said.
To train for the weight throw, Andreas said he hits the gym two to three times a week to lift weights based on a program his coach designed.
In a week before a competition, however, he’ll only go to the gym once in order to avoid any possible injury.
He also said he takes a great deal of time to practise technique.
"You’ve got to get a bunch of repetitions in and get used to the feeling of the spin and the release until it becomes second nature," Andreas said.
The next time he’ll compete in throwing and running events is April and Andreas said his goal is to throw for Team Alberta at a national competition.
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