One of Powell River’s most promising track and field athletes brought a bronze medal home with him from Ottawa despite straining his hip.
Cale Hernandez competed in the Canadian Combined Events Championship, a national track meet that was also run concurrently with the Panamerican Combined Events Championship.
“I came sixth in the Panamerican cup and out of the Canadians I came third,” said Cale, of his participation in decathlon.
The championship was held in the nation’s capital at Terry Fox Athletics Facility at Mooney’s Bay in July. Cale found himself up against the best Canadian juniors, as well as athletes from the US, Cuba, Brazil, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica.
“It was a really competitive event and just great for him to compete at that level,” said his mother, Silvana.
Cale, 19, ran as a junior in decathlon representing Powell River Track and Field Club. He was joined by one of his coaches, Rob Pike, from Trinity Western University.
In the first event of the first day, 100-metre sprint, he pulled his hip flexor, a group of muscles at the front of the hip which help bend the hip and are particularly active when sprinting.
“The rest of the day it was sore and that definitely affected my performances,” said Cale. “The only way I got through it was my coach gave me some stretches and helped out with some therapy.”
Between each of the five events on the first day he was working to loosen up his hip, he said.
Long jump was the second event of the first day and the strain took its toll putting him about 40 centimetres back from his personal best, he said.
The second day of the tournament was better for the 19-year-old.
Cale said he approached the 110-metre hurdles, the first event of the next day, with caution, but was able to clock his fastest time in a decathlon.
With his overall win in discus, the point gap started to close. He threw 40.7 metres, a personal best, for the win.
The other significant win of the day happened in the last event, the 1,500 metres, where he scored another personal best running 4:49, eight seconds faster than his previous best. He came in second overall in that event.
“That’s probably the win that pulled him into third overall of the Canadians,” said Silvana. “He really gave it all.”
Despite his hip strain, Cale said that he thought his performance was pretty good considering his condition. “I know there’s more and I could do better,” he said. “If I hadn’t pulled my hip I would have done way better in a bunch of events. I’m just going to keep improving.”
Cale said that he is focused on his training and working with his coaches to progress.
“Where I’m at is because of my coaches,” he said. “Connie [Polman-Tuin] coached me in grade 11 and 12 and without her I wouldn’t have a scholarship to Trinity. I wouldn’t be as good as I am without her. Without Rob coming with me to Ottawa I would have had a much harder time.”
Cale goes back to Trinity this term and will move up to the senior age group in competition, which will put him up against Olympians and other veteran athletes.
“He’ll be the youngest in that age group, so it will be a good learning year for him,” said Silvana.
