OLDS — Olds throwing athlete and coach Rachel Andres spent last week preparing for another high-profile meet – the Edmonton Track and Field Invitational.
Andres anticipated that the meet, held July 3, would be a tough one, as several American throwers were expected to participate.
“The competition will be stiffer for sure, with U.S. throwers coming. I was told at least a couple of US throwers with marks around my best will be competing,” she wrote in an email before the competition.
The meet is the last on the Canadian Track and Field Tour before the World Track and Field Championships, which will be held July 15-24 in Eugene, Oregon.
The Edmonton meet had silver level certification, which means that any mark achieved there counts higher in the world standings than other meets do, she said.
Andres had some ideas on what she needed to do to do well in Edmonton.
"More mental preparation than anything, to just follow my form cues and not think about distance,” she wrote. That is the key to staying relaxed for discus.”
She also tuned up for the Edmonton meet via a competition June 29 in Calgary.
On Friday, June 24, Andres, 35, competed at the Canadian National Championships in Langley, BC.
She did well, finishing in second place in discus with a throw of 53.43 metres (m). First place went to 22-year-old Trinity Tutti of Welland, Ont. with a throw of 54.94 m.
Andres described that effort as “my best throw so far this season.”
Andres has been slowly building back to meet shape after giving birth to a baby girl, Trinity, on April 18.
“Core is incredibly important to the throws, so the lack of core stability post-baby has been noticeable,” she wrote. “But it is going well for baby girl only being nine weeks at the time.”
Andres was asked if Trinity will be an athlete when she gets older.
“She might be a thrower, Lol,” she wrote. (We’ll) see if she takes to it.”
