Troschke wins silver at Legion nationals

Olds' Andreas Troschke left this year's Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships with a silver medal and personal best in the hammer throw, making it his best showing ever at the meet.

For athletes in this country 17 years old and younger, this meet is the most important of the season; what they train all year for. It was held earlier this month in Ste. Therese, Que.

Troschke's throw measured 61.11 metres and allowed him to maintain his ranking at second in the country.

In hammer throw, each thrower starts with three tries. The top eight get three more.

"Early on, the mindset was definitely to get a legal throw in. At the end it was, go for it and see what happens. You don't have anything to lose, might as well try for as much as I can possibly get," Troschke said.

He said that for three years, he's been chasing British Columbia's Vikramjit Gondora for the No. 1 spot in the country. They met again in Quebec, with Gondora finishing first, throwing 64.95 metres.

"B.C.'s got a lot of good throws coaches and a fine history in throwing. He's got a lot of natural talent on him. Physically when we stand next to each other, there's not a lot of separation. There's obviously room for me to catch up and improve and get closer to him," he said.

He adds that in B.C., athletes can train outdoors year-round. Once the winter hits Alberta, athletes move indoors and train in weight throw. To catch Gondora, Troschke said he needs to make the most of every opportunity, inside or out.

"I've got to work my butt off, really. I've got to have a higher level of commitment and always be pushing to go the extra mile. The indoor season's not a terrible thing but it's a bit weird, the transition from the weight throw to the hammer as opposed to just throwing hammer," he said.

Troschke also finished 7th out of 22 in the discus throw.

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