Posted: June 18, 2007

Athletics: James Steacy betters his Canadian Hammer Throw record in Calgary

OTTAWA – James Steacy from Lethbridge, AB bettered his Canadian hammer throw record in Calgary this weekend at the 2007 CalTaf Track Classic. Steacy won the men’s open hammer throw with a toss of 77.38 metres, beating his nearest competitor by over 16 metres. The record is pending Athletics Canada approval. Steacy, who first broke the Canadian hammer throw record in 2006, has now improved the record for a fourth time (once in 2006, three times this year). At the same meet, Brian Barnett from Edmonton won both the men’s 100 and 200 metre sprints, setting new personal bests in both events. Barnett crossed the line in the 100 in 10.24 seconds and 20.48 in the 200. On June 14 another Canadian hammer throw record fell, Crystal Smith from Creston, BC set a new women’s record with a throw of 68.60 metres. Crystal set the record in Kentucky at the KMC Throws Twilight. The previous mark of 68.48 metres was held by Jennifer Joyce. Joyce set it in Burnaby, BC in 2005. In other news Athletics Canada will name three national teams this week. The teams for the Pan American Games, Pan American Junior Championships and IAAF World Youth Championships will all be announced. The Pan American Junior Championships are July 6-8 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The World Youth Championships will take place in Ostrava, Czech Republic July 11-15. The Pan American Games are set for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil July 22-29. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest