SIDNEY — If you thought that the 2016 Olympics Closing Ceremonies in Rio marked the end of the track and field season, you’d be wrong — at least for two local Masters athletes.
The Americas Masters Games, with over 5,000 athletes from around the world, concluded at the end of August in Vancouver and Pen Track members Anne Murfitt and Les East were there to not only compete, but to win.
Murfitt, in the W55 category, gained victory in the Throws Pentathlon with a total of 1,994 points, based on her winning performances in the Hammer, Shot Put, Discus, Javelin and Weight Throw.
To this gold medal, she added a silver in the Open Hammer event, with a toss of 20.69m, and a bronze in the Discus, skimming it 16.91m.
In the M75 class, East brought back two gold medals, one in the open Hammer Throw, with a season’s best mark of 30.29m and the other in the Triple Jump, in which he covered a distance of 7.12m.
In addition, he also collected silver medals in the High Jump (1.20m), Long Jump (3.28m), Discus (28.37m) and, on the final day of competition, the Throws Pentathlon, finishing with 2,944 points.
They added these medals to those that they’d brought back a few weeks previously from the Washington State Masters Games, where Murfitt won three gold and two silver, while East came home with three silver.
And their season is not over yet.
They are planning to compete in the B.C. 55+ Games, the Nevada Senior Games and the Huntsman World Senior Games.
For some people, summer never ends.
— Danny Daniels is a regular contributor