Innisfail's Brayden Posyluzny is one meet closer to his goal.
The 17-year-old octathlete returned from Langley, B.C. with a handful of medals, which included gold in octathlon, silver in 4 x 100 metre relay, and a bronze in the 4 x 400 metre relay with Team Alberta.
“I competed in the summer games and won gold in the octathlon with athletes I had met before, but this time I had only heard of them,” said Posyluzny. “This time, I did not know what to expect and to motivate myself by going for personal bests. In the end, I did set new ones in the 400 metre and 1,000 metre distances.”
Posyluzny clinched the octathlon national youth title and gold medal with a cumulative score of 5,104 over his competitors, who scored only 139 and 173 points fewer.
“It was a tougher competition this time,” said the athlete. “With every event I had to push myself to the limit. A couple of seconds slower, and I could easily have been second place.”
The Innisfailian, who is in Grade 12 at Red Deer's Hunting Hills High School, noted he has learned what it takes to achieve gold medal results and to push hard to achieve his goals.
“I train with my club in Red Deer twice a week,” said Posyluzny. “But, as some of the members are younger, the club practice is not all that I do. I really focus on training with my dad who works with me as a personal trainer on weight and technical training.”
Posyluzny's future goals are defined with the 2015 Pan Am Games firmly in mind.
“My coach and I have made plans to compete in the Pan Am Games in Edmonton in July of next year,” said Posyluzny. “To get there, I have to compete in an outdoor decathlon. But right now, after a trip to California, “I will be starting to train indoors for the heptathlon season, which may include the New Balance Outdoor International event held in New York in March of 2015,” he added. “It is the biggest outdoor event in North America where I would compete against the best in the world.”
Posyluzny noted the new balance event is only a warm-up for the 2016 World Junior Championships, which will be held in Russia, two weeks before the Olympics.
“Both events involve qualifying in events with certain standards and finishing in the top echelon,” said Posyluzny. “With the Summer Olympics so close to the world juniors, I can't do both and the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics is a more realistic goal for me. By that time, I will have five more years experience and that will help significantly.”
He added his parents and track team members have been behind him all of the way.
“We share our successes and failures with each other after the meets,” said Posyluzny. “I get to encourage my teammates, and they encourage me.
“After nationals, a parent came up to me and thanked me for being a good sportsman after I shook the hand of the volunteers and other competitors,” he added. “That was very encouraging, and made me aware that whether or not I win, people are affected by my attitude.”
The athlete is thankful for the many volunteers, sponsors (like the Royal Canadian Legion), and coaches who give their time and resources to allow him and his fellow athletes to compete.
“As I have trained for the various events I have come away with one basic lesson,” said Posyluzny. “Don't be afraid to chase your dream. It will take hard work but it is worth it.”
