OLDS — The window to qualify for this year’s Summer Olympics in Tokyo is quickly closing for discus thrower Rachel Andres of Olds.
The Olympics are slated to occur from July 23-Aug. 8. Andres says the official window to qualify for the games closes on June 29.
One big opportunity to qualify for the Canadian team remains: the Nationals, which take place June 27 in Montreal.
Andres had an opportunity to qualify during a meet held June 12-13 in Calgary. However, she was hampered by an injury that occurred earlier while practising in a throwing ring that became slippery. There’s been lots of rainfall over the past few weeks.
“It didn’t go very well,” Andres wrote in an email. “I was coming off a muscle strain and my timing was off - enough to affect my throw by a half dozen meters. So only threw 55.57 metres (m).”
Andres was philosophical about the injury.
“Slips happen in wet and slick rings. It just happened repeatedly for quite a few throws which is what caused the problem,” she wrote. “Not throwing in that ring again anytime soon. Lol.”
Due to the pandemic, Andres was unable to compete in as many meets as she would have liked.
“I’m at #39 in the world and the only guaranteed way in now after the forced month of May off is to hit the auto standard of 63.50m.”
In May, Andres was ranked number 38 and at that time, said that left her 10 points away from obtaining an Olympic berth.
Andres obtained some relief from a local sports medicine clinic and acupuncturist.
“It is annoying how something so slight makes such a huge difference in terms of distance,” Andres wrote in a Facebook post.
“I am thankful that @athleticsalberta and @athleticscanada made this meet happen; the first full meet to happen in Alberta since COVID began.
“(I’m) thankful for my team of supporters who keep cheering me on through the meets that don’t go as planned (too many to mention, but y’all know who are you are).
“(I’m also) thankful for my husband @discus_husband and son who are constantly cheering me on. And thankful to God for the opportunity to compete.”
