What did you do on your summer vacation – probably not as much as Heather Steacy.
The University of Lethbridge track and field star added another accolade to her impressive resumé on Thursday, winning gold at the Canada Summer Games in Charlottetown, PEI.
With a furthest throw of 59.92 metres, Steacy dominated the hammer throw competition, winning by more than six metres. Quebec's Annie Larose finished second at 53.62m, while Ontario's Kristin Obrochta was third at 52.89m.
"It was a really good throw technically today for me so I'm happy for sure," Steacy, who was ranked number one heading into the competition, says. "Obviously anything can happen in a competition, but I did think I could do this."
Steacy returns to campus this fall to begin her fourth year at the University. In three seasons with the Horns, the 21 year-old Lethbridge native has claimed three Canada West titles in the weight throw to go along with two CIS titles. She has also earned a CIS bronze medal.
Steacy's golden toss is another step forward in her quest to compete for Canada internationally, including a possible trip to the Olympic Summer Games. Her brothers Jim and Sean Steacy have both competed at the international level and Jim, a multiple Canadian champion in the hammer throw, represented Canada at the Olympic Summer Games in Beijing last summer.
"It has been really good to have the experience of my brothers to rely on and it is definitely encouraging to see how well they have done," Steacy says. "It is definitely motivating, especially watching Jim compete in Beijing at just 24 years old."
