Gauthier’s long road back
After losing his first season of high school track and field to the COVID-19 pandemic, Carson Gauthier was eagerly anticipating the 2022 season.
His resume clearly indicated he would be force at the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association and Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations levels. In 2019, he was named the Athletics Ontario U14 Athlete of the Year and in 2021 he backed that up by winning the Athletics Ontario’s U16 Athlete of the Year award. In 2021, he was ranked No. 1 in the province in javelin, shot put, high jump and hurdles and was in the top three in three other events.
But just as he was getting started on his first high school season it came to a crashing halt. Competing at the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association meet, he tore his patellar tendon and herniated three disks in his back.
“It was devastating, especially after losing two years to COVID. I couldn’t wait to get back,” the Grade 11 student at Saint Michael said. “I was training all year without competition and I was so excited. To have that happen was heart-breaking.”
The injuries kept him out of action until last September when he slowly eased back into training. His first competition back came in April at the 12th Rock Throw Series Meet in New York, where he won the javelin event with a throw of 50.19 metres.
On Wednesday, the 17-year-old placed first in the senior boys javelin at the SOSSA championships with a throw of 50.68 metres, which was more than five metres farther than the next closest competitor.
Gauthier and his coaches have decided he will only compete in the javelin this spring.
“After suffering such a big injury there is always that fear in the back of your head telling you to be careful. And before I kept getting minor injuries doing so many events so I just decided to focus on what I really enjoy doing which was javelin.”
It was a memorable moment Wednesday when the SOSSA gold medal was placed around his neck
“Especially for the day, it felt really good. The weather wasn’t what I was hoping for when I woke up but I was happy with how I threw, especially my first throw. It is definitely motivation.”
The Thorold Elite Track Club member is hoping to finish the high school season with an OFSAA gold medal around his neck.
“That is always the goal but I would also like to throw a pretty good distance, hopefully around 60 metres.”
He is confident the extra 10 metres of distance is coming.
“It is going to be intense leading up to OFSAA but I believe so.”
Directly after OFSAA, he will fly to Oregon to compete in the Nike Outdoor Nationals.
“I am hoping to make the national team and either compete in the (under-18) Commonwealth Games or the North American, Central American and Caribbean Games.”
Long term, the goal is to earn a university scholarship.
“Last year, it slowed down and it was on the back burner and I was figuring out where I wanted to go. As of now, I am still doing research and I don’t have an exact list of where I want to go yet.”
He is planning to return for his 12B year at Saint Michael.
He is motivated by his parents, Justin and Nancy, and his brother, Payton. Payton is on a rowing scholarship at Syracuse and has represented Canada at the under-19 and under-23 world championships.
“I have watched him achieve so much, especially at the national and university level and that is something I have always wanted to achieve.”
He has also drawn inspiration from other athletes.
“I was watching all the competition who I should have been competing against last year throw really good motivated me to get back into the swing of things.”
