Niki Oudenaarden rewrote the record book for the second straight year at the Alberta Schools' Athletic Association track and field championships.
The 17-year-old Grade 11 Paul Kane student established a new mark in the intermediate girls' javelin with a winning toss of 42.87 metres Friday at Foote Field.
"It was an awesome feeling because I haven't done that in a while," said the U18 heptathlon champion at the 2010 Legion nationals. "I was actually really surprised because I've been throwing 39s recently but I've also been in the 42s as well."
The previous record of 39.78m was set in 1992 by Kristi Halat of the Strathcona Lords.
"I'm really happy that I was able to get the record this year because I have been trying a lot harder in javelin," said Oudenaarden, the top thrower at the Edmonton zones at 39.15m after qualifying with an unofficial personal best distance of 46.19m.
Last year in long jump she broke the long-time provincial high school junior girls' record of 5.20m with a measurement of 5.75m.
"Both [long jump and javelin] records are actually pretty outstanding to be able to get them," said the owner of more than 10 female age-group records at the provincial and national levels, including the U16 Alberta javelin record of 42.02m. "Long jump is still my favourite event so I was actually a little bit disappointed this year not being able to get it."
Her first-place mark of 5.54m at zones was also a meet record in long jump, eclipsing the 5.29m standard by Joanne Otto of Strathcona in 1983.
At provincials she battled the rain and wind to finished first at 5.24m, short of the 5.60m long jump record.
"Weather always plays a role in everything. It wasn't the greatest weather but you can't completely blame it on that."
Oudenaarden also won the high jump event at 1.60m and placed third in the 200m at 26.58 seconds.
"It was kind of like doing a heptathlon on the first day so that was nice but the 200 kind of hurt. We did the 200 heats in the morning and then the 200 final in the afternoon but since I'm a heptathlete I'm more of a one-hit wonder. I can do it once and I'm done for the day."
Class act
In a classy move, Oudenaarden gave her provincial bronze medal to Katrina Martin of the Bev Facey Falcons. Martin, ranked second behind Oudenaarden in zone final, fell during the 200m race.
"It was really nice to give it to her because she has been working really hard lately. She was super charged. She has been preparing for it for a while," said Oudenaarden, who trains with Martin at the Capital City Track and Field Club. "She has always wanted to beat me. Before a lot of our races she would say, 'I will get you this time, Niki. I will. I will.' Usually we would be really, really close but it hasn't happened yet."
Martin was ahead of Oudenaarden before the spill.
"She was doing amazing in her race and then she tripped. I'm not quite sure exactly how it happened but as soon as I saw her hit the ground it instantly went to my head that I'm giving her my medal right now. When someone falls, either your teammate or your friend or even just someone you've just met, I feel for them in my heart. After all that work they've done they really deserve something in the end and she was doing amazing in that race."
The medal haul for Oudenaarden matched last year's total, when she won three gold [long jump, shot put and javelin) and one silver (200m) in the junior division.
"You're only allowed to do maximum of four events in total. If I could do more I definitely would."
Her efforts helped Paul Kane place eighth overall in the 4A standings as the second-highest ranked school in the Edmonton area.
"We did pretty well against huge major schools and to be able to contribute to that is an awesome feeling," she said. "I really love wearing the school pinney."
This weekend at the CALTAF Track Classic in Calgary, Oudenaarden will compete in the heptathlon in preparation for the IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics, July 6 to 10 in Lille, France.
"I've only competed on a national stage so worlds will be my first international kind of thing," said the Canadian U18 youth and Legion national record holder in the heptathlon with a personal-best 5,124 points. "Going from a provincial level to a national level to an international level, it's a completely different mind game. You have to know your competitors and everything just perfectly. It's terrifying."
The heptathlon is a combined endurance event based on point totals from results in the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m, long jump, javelin and 800m.
"I'm actually practicing a lot more my high jump and hurdles this year but the 800 is for sure one of those races that I really need to up my game in," said the provincial U18 record holder in the heptathlon. "I train quite often. If you ask any of my friends they get rather annoyed with me about it but I'm always at the track. I love being there. If I could be anywhere in the world I would be training every day but I do have to put a restriction on myself."
Also on tap for Oudenaarden is senior nationals, June 22 to 25 in Calgary.
"I'm going to try and go for long jump and javelin and see how I can do in that."
Another major meet for the 2010 Athletics Alberta youth female athlete of the year is the Western Canada Summer Games, Aug. 5 to 14 in Kamloops.
"That would be a fun one."
