Myrtle Acton brings truth to the saying that the older you get, the better you get.
Competing in the Women’s 80-84 age category in the Kamloops Centennial Track Meet, she set a new Canadian discus throw record of 17.95 meters and earned another record of 3,653 points in the throws pentathlon (javelin, shot, hammer, heavy weight, discus).
Acton, who already holds Canadian records in the shot, hammer and weight throw, joined her B.C. Senior Games friends in Pen Track earlier this year after moving from the Interior.
She competes alongside Les East (M75) who won his javelin, discus, shot, hammer and high jump evets in Duncan last weekend, as did Peter Auvinen (M65) in his four throwing competitions and Carl Jensen (M40) in the discus.
Peggy Morfitt (W75) won her discus, javelin, shot and hammer throws, while Anne Murfitt (W50) had a personal best in the hammer (22.38m) and finished second in her other three throwing events.
These athletes prove inspirational to Pen Track youngsters such as Conor Loughnane, 12, who earned three winning personal bests in the 100m and 300m together with a second in the shot.
In her first track season, nine--year-old Adriana Hilton set a PB in the 600m, finishing 37 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. She also finished 56 seconds ahead in the 1000m.
Other successes were turned in by Piper Battersby, 16, in the 1500m, 3000m and the 2000m steeplechase, brother Finn, 14, in his 1500m steeplechase, and Jacqueline Gaby, 16, in the 3000m race walk.
Recording second and third place finishes were Niamh Gibbons, nine, in shot and long jump, Julia Peterson, 11, in 600m and 1000m, Alexis Van Den Bulk, 11, in discus, Anna-Maria Hilton, 14, in the 1500m steeplechase, Cameron Whalley, 14, in the high jump, David Johnson, 15, in the long jump and Mette Fosberg (W60) in the 100m.
— Danny Daniels