Author: Harold Morioka

After 53 consecutive days without any measurable rain, as the athletes and officials prepared for the Greyhounds' Multi-Events Meet – wouldn't you know it – it finally started to rain on Saturday morning. The wet weather hampered the athletes in the morning but as the weather improved, so did the athletes' performances. By Sunday afternoon, the weather was sunny and hot again. Although the Greyhounds Masters Club hosted two sanctioned In-Club meets last year, this was the first time that the club hosted a meet that was open to all BC Athletics Masters athletes. After dealing with Covid-19 for a year and a half, the athletes were extremely happy to compete again.

This meet was mainly for the multi-event athletes but it also included a few individual events and relays. Eight men entered the decathlon but only three women contested the heptathlon. The womens throws pentathlon had the maximum ten entries and the mens throws pentathlon had nine entries. The individual events included the 100m, 400m and 1500m. Three teams entered the 4x100m relay and two teams entered the 4x800m relay.

Although this was not a large meet, the athletes broke six Canadian records and tied another. Nicole Carlos broke two Canadian records in the W45 throws pentathlon (3562 points) and weight throw (12.10m). Cindy O'Brien Hugh broke the Canadian record in the W60 heptathlon (4561 points), breaking the old Canadian record by over 1000 points. Tom Ukonmaanaho, although slowed by a leg injury, broke the Canadian record in the M75 decathlon (5297 points). In a thrilling dual, David Guss (4:34.59) edged Mark Pinckard (4:35.28) in the 1500m, with both men breaking the M60 Canadian record. David gets the M60 1500 Canadian record.

The relay team of Barrie Dargie (77), Mark Stewart (77), Pat Harton (79) and Piara Bhullar (75) broke the Canadian record in the M75 4x800m (12:27.30) by more than four minutes. The old Canadian record was 16:28.44. Harnek Toor tied the Canadian record in the M75 weight throw (15.20m).

In addition to the seven records above, there were three more B.C. records in the multi-events. Sven Donaldson set a new BC record in the M70 decathlon, while Sunette Lessing (W50) and Marina Khrisanova (W40) set BC records in the heptathlon.

As usual the BC Athletics officials did an excellent job. The Greyhounds Masters Club thank all of the officials and volunteers for their commitment and hard work. Thank you to John and Carol Cull not only for organizing the officials but also for officiating for two days, to Kevin Kydd and Richard Hayley for working at the photo-finish table, to the officials at the throwing and jumping areas, to the starters, and to the young men and women who moved the hurdles and worked at the pole vault competition. Without all of you, it would not be possible to have a successful track and field meet.