Monday, July 31, 2017
By Rob J. Ross
DORCHESTER - Megan Dunn is at the Canada Summer Games.
The 18-year old from Dorchester rides a wave of momentum into the multi-sport event, in Winnipeg, July 28-August 13, competing in women's heptathlon.
Dunn won the Canadian women's under-20 heptathlon gold medal, after placing second, at the NACAC (North American Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association) Combined Events Cup, in Ottawa, July 3-5. It was a two-in-one meet, with two medal ceremonies, one for the Cup and one for Athletics Canada's junior Nationals.
"I was really happy with my performance. I was close to my PB (personal best of 4693 points) and this was with higher hurdles and heavier shot put and javelin," Dunn said. "The only thing I wasn't happy with was high jump. It was the only downfall of that meet."
Dunn won javelin (37.73 metres) and the 800 metres (2:27.48), finished second in the 100-metre hurdles (15.02 seconds), third in both long jump (5.10m) and the 200 metres (25.74 sec.), fourth in shot put (9.35m) and fifth, in high jump (1.45m).
It was the first competition for Dunn throwing a heavier shot put (four kilograms, up from three) and javelin (600 grams, up from 500 grams) and jumping over three inch higher hurdles. The increases come with a move up from the Youth division to Junior.
Tyra Gittens, from Trinidad-Tobago, won the Pam Am Cup heptathlon gold, amassing 5490 points.
An invitation from Team Ontario, brings Dunn to the Canada Summer Games.
"I was very surprised because it was all of sudden," said Dunn. "I was really thankful. I was happy to represent Canada at (NACAC Cup). To be invited to the Summer Games, I was over the moon, I was so excited."
The heptathlon at the Summer Games is Thursday and Friday, August 3-4th. Highlights will likely be shown on TSN. Also representing Ontario in the heptathlon is 19-year Dallyssa Huggins, who placed eighth, in the senior division of the NACAC Cup.
"My goal is to try to beat my PB, to have fun and relax and enjoy all of the events."
Dunn's PB was achieved at the 2016 Athletics Ontario outdoor provincials, her first ever heptathlon.
Earlier this year, Dunn was the junior heptathlon champion at Athletics Ontario Combined Events championship, also held in Ottawa.
Dunn, who trains with the London-Western track and field club under coach Liz House, concluded her high school career at OFSAA, placing sixth, in the senior women's 100-metre hurdles, this past June.
Dunn graduates from Lord Dorchester Secondary school, as the girls' record holder in the 200 metres and 100-metre hurdles. Dunn was also part of the school's OFSAA gold medal winning women's 4x400-metre relay team in 2014 and 2016 (school record), sandwiching an OFSAA silver medal in 2015.
in late August, Dunn heads to Wofford College, a NCAA Division 1 school in South Carolina.
Her Wofford coaches had sent a workout schedule, but after hearing Dunn's selection for the NACAC Cup and then Summer Games, they told her to instead just focus on training for those events.
"It's been very hectic. Everything has been happening so fast, but I love it," Dunn said. "I've kept training and try to stay organized. I've made a lot of lists for all of the meets."