Andreas Troschke won a gold medal in the youth weight throw at the 2016 Hershey Canadian Indoor Championships on Feb. 21.
He threw for 21.45 metres, his second best performance.
Troschke was also trying to break the national weight throw record for his age class -- 23.54 m.
"I think I've got a shot at it. I've been flirting with 23 (metres) in practice so we'll see. And if I don't have it here, I've got a couple more meets as a youth to try and break it ... Going forward as a youth? I fancy my chances," Troschke said from the lobby of his hotel.
The 17-year-old is currently the highest ranked youth weight thrower with a 22.11 m distance.
In the junior age category (18-19 years old), athletes throw a weight that's about two kilograms more than they would as youth.
Troschke has competed against those older athletes and is currently ranked 10th among them.
"It's a huge confidence booster knowing these are the guys I'll be competing with in a couple years once I'm a university kid," he said.
He says his first chance to represent Canada will come in two years, when he hopes to qualify for the world junior team.
In Montreal, Troschke looked forward to his attempt at breaking the record but also being around elite athletes who also have dreams of competing for Canada on the world stage.
"It's not just trying to throw a big distance, it's also trying to learn from high-level competition. It's kind of the next step for me."
He's also staying with Olds High School and the Airdrie Aces for the time being, even though his father Ralph, currently Olds College's dean of agribusiness, land and fashion, was recently named president of Carlton Trail Regional College in Saskatchewan.
Troschke said he's going to wait before relocating.
"I'm going to be able to spend my last year in high school still training with the track team, which is very useful for me. So that's a very nice thing for him to do."
