OFSAA silver for Gauthier
Carson Gauthier’s first Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations medal in track and field was greeted with a muted response.
The Grade 12 student at Saint Michael wasn’t overly excited about his silver medal in the senior boys javelin.
“It is cool but it is just one thing along the way. It has been a long process and it hasn’t been the main focus to win an OFSAA medal,” the 18-year-old Niagara Falls resident said. “I am just taking it as another track meet, get a good number in and try to continue to progress throughout the entire summer. I am not going to complain about the medal. I love it but it’s just keep on moving forward.”
His silver medal throw was a good one but was about a metre away from reaching his personal best of 57.04 metres.
“It was in the first round and I was expecting a bit more but technically it wasn’t working out for the other five but I can’t complain. I was trying to refine my technique on the other five throws but it didn’t work.”
Up next for Gauthier are the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Oregon next week and two weeks later the Canadian under-20 nationals. His dream would be to make the under-20 national team but he is not expecting it.
“That would be nice but it is a bit of a stretch because I am in my first year of U20. Probably not but we will see. I am going to try my best.”
He feels he is early on in his athletic journey.
“With the injuries, there have been some setbacks and I know I have a lot of room to grow. I am trying to take each day as it is, try and figure out where I am at and progress from there,” the Thorold Elite Track Club member said.
He figures that is the perfect path.
“I believe if I stress too much about the small details or stress over a mark it won’t be good long term. I just have to take it slow and take each day as I go.”
His long-term goals have yet to be defined.
“We’ll see. I am trying to go post secondary and that’s a big goal but if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.”
He is planning to return for his 12B year at Saint Michael to further his academics and athletics.
Gauthier is now focused solely on the javelin.
“It’s my favourite, it is the most fun and it hurts the least. I have done a lot and I have had over-injuries: shin splints, knees, back and everything hurts. Javelin is a pretty brutal sport but is the one I have the most fun with and I am able to put up with the pain.”
His injury and health woes have included meningitis, a patellar tendon tear in one knee and two herniated disks in his back.
Despite the setbacks, Gauthier rarely asked ‘Why me?’
“You eventually get over it and you just try and make do with what you have.”
Gauthier joined the Thorold Elite club when he was in Grade 7 and he broke provincial records and was ranked No. 1 in Canada for several events.
“I wouldn’t count much about Grades 7 and 8. There isn’t much competition and you always a get a few good athletes at the younger ages and I don’t want much recognition for that,” he said.
But it was a sign of things to come.
“Everyone knew he was going to win OFSAA in Grade 9 and then COVID happened and he lost out on two years from that and then had a significant illness and injury the following year so really he has been robbed of a lot of great achievements just by life circumstances,” Thorold Elite coach Steven Fife said. “To keep training and working hard day in and day out after that and to remain committed to a goal shows an enormous amount of perseverance and dedication and it was a well-deserved medal that finally came to fruition.”
His javelin coach is Kelly Saldutto.
