Alexis has Wright stuff in discus
Alexis Wright saved her best for last.
The Grade 9 student at Welland Centennial entered the midget girls discus event at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations’ track and field championships in Guelph seeded eighth following gold medal performances at the Zone 3, Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association and OFSAA South Regional track and field meets.
The 14-year-old Welland resident was among the top eight athletes at OFSAA after the first three throws and qualified for an additional three throws. She was in fourth spot heading into her final throw when the girl in front of her bumped her into fifth place.
Needing a big throw, Wright won the bronze medal with a toss of 31.19 metres, which topped her previous best throw at OFSAA by 2.53 metres. She ended up beating the fourth-place finisher by 0.33 metres with a toss that was 3.94 metres than her best throw at OFSAA regionals.
“I was so happy,” she said. “I wasn’t sure it was going to work out for me or not. I just kind of went for it and it worked out.”
It certainly did and her performance exceeded the goal she had set in her first year of high school track and field.
“My goal at the start of the season was to get to OFSAA so winning bronze was a plus.”
Achieving her goal made her more relaxed at the provincial high school championships.
“I was pretty calm,” she said.
Wright was a member of the Niagara Girls Basketball Academy squad that won the JUEL Prep championship this past season and she has also played travel volleyball in past years. She believes her multi-spot background contributed to her success in javelin.
“My technique from other sports helped me,” she said. “Volleyball footing is technical and my overall athleticism helped me to pick it up quickly,” she said. “And training for basketball gives me the strength to be able to throw the discus.”
In addition to her intense basketball practice schedule, Wright trained every day after school for discus.
“I don’t have a lot of time for extra stuff but sports is what I love to do,” she said. “It keeps me busy and I enjoy it.”
Despite her success in discus, she will continue to put her athletic focus on basketball.
In addition to primary high school sponsors. Johnny Rocco’s and Mick and Angelo’s, BPSN’s coverage of the track and field season is made possible with the support of the Niagara Olympic Club (https://nocrunners.com).
