Kana finally spears
OFSAA gold
The EESS senior's 48.3 metre javelin throw furthest this century for women
while Medina, Atkinson, Arnold bring home silver, McCurdy bronze
June 9, 2025
By Rob J. Ross
TORONTO, Ont. - Taylor Kana waited three years for this moment.
Since taking home a bronze medal in javelin as a novice in 2022, Kana has wanted to stand a top the podium at OFSAA track and field
The East Elgin Eagles athlete made her dream come true winning senior girls javelin, with a personal best throw of 48.03 metres, on day three of OFSAA Saturday at York University.
"I've been chasing it for the past three years. It's something I've always wanted and I've always gone. "It's definitely a relief. It's been a small dream I've had since Grade nine," Kana said. "At OFSAA (past two years), I kind of choked. This year, I knew from the start it was going to be my season. I wanted to put it all out there, everything I had."
Following a bronze medal in Grade nine, Kana took bronze again in Grade 10 as a junior and placed fourth as a first year senior a year ago.
Kana led this year's competition from round one with an opening throw of 45.31 metres, a measure two and half meters ahead of second place.
"My first throw was just below my PB, so I knew I had a good chance to beat my PB. The only goal I had today was to beat my PB," Kana said. "It was just me against myself. The other years I kept beating myself up. I'm glad I got that out of my way. I was too hard on myself for the mistakes I was making and I over corrected myself. This year I knew If I stayed relaxed, I knew coming in what I could throw."
Silver medalist Kaitlyn Pepper threw 42.63 metres, but Kana would have five total throws further than that measure.
Kana extended her lead to 47.32 metres, hit 47.43m in round three, before saving her best distance for the final throw of her high school career.
Throughout the season a sore back kept Kana from throwing her best, but
"I was feeling good," Kana said. "My back injury healed up and I'm so thankful for that."
Kana will be heading to St. Clair College in Windsor this September, for Police Foundations and Firefighting and will be playing softball for the Saints.
"My focus is softball, but I really don't want to give up javelin. It's really something I do love," said Kana.
At East Elgin Secondary, Kana was
a finalist for Eagles senior athlete of the year.
Parkside Stampeders Mehkai Arnold took home silver in novice men's discus with a
throw of 46.52 metres.
Arnold had four throws over 41 metres (mixed in with two fouls) and led the competition until Noah Vanneck of Chatham-Kent, hit 46.89 metres on his final throw.
Initially disappointed about not having the gold medal, Arnold realized his remarkable achievement.
"Feels good," Arnold said. "I'll continue to train and get gold hopefully next year. I'm going to go for it."
Witnessing the OFSAA silver medal and at Arnold's side all season, was his grandpa, Dave Walmsley, who has been than just a cheering grandparent.
"My grandpa has been with me
throughout my athletic journey," said Arnold, who plays football with the London
Jr. Mustangs and at Parkside . "He's been at all my games and practices, and he
takes me to the Y and oversees my weight training. Having him at OFSAA was just
more of the same, being with me for another step in my journey."
Dorchester Beavers Aisha Medina was so excited she could have jumped the fence
and climbed into the stands to hug her parents.
That was emotion consuming Medina after winning the silver medal for junior women's pole vault, increasing her school record to three metres.
"It's surreal. It's an amazing feeling winning a medal," said Medina. "I've never had a feeling like this, the high of getting a three metre PB."
A week earlier at regionals, Medina broke the school record clearing the bar at 2.80 metres.
After entering the OFSAA competition at 2.40 metres, Medina made the 2.80 metre height in her first attempt.
"I was, ok, I have to bring it together and just believe in myself and do what I know I can do," said Medina. "Just let myself jump."
Medina missed her first attempt at 2.90 metres, but sailed over the bar on her second attempt.
Vaulters have three attempts to clear a height.
After just grazing the bar enough to knock it down on her first attempt at three metres, Medina was successful on attempt two.
Alyssa Rizzo, of Windsor Assumption, won gold, making 3.10 metres.
"This ranks as my number one sports highlight, medaling at OFSAA," said Medina. "I did it not only for myself, but for my parents and my brother. I wanted to show them what I could do and I did."
A year ago at OFSAA as a novice, Medina placed eighth.
Since then, Medina says she has gained more confidence believing in herself and improved her technique.
"My coaches (Paul White, Dave, have always been amazing and I thank them so much for everything," Medina, adding improvements include, "pushing out my arm and keeping the distance from the pole. I had to do that to even get upside down and over the bar."
Medina was one of four Beavers at
OFSAA track and field.
For a few minutes Ethan Atkinson was holding an OFSAA record.
The St. Joseph's Rams athlete took home a silver medal in junior men's pole vault.
Atkinson and Christian Futo, from Chaminade College in Toronto, both broke the OFSAA record of 4.45 metres, clearing 4.50 metres.
"It was crazy," said Atkinson. "I was happy to PB and I had the record for a bit. I had that for a second, before Christian broke it. It was a good day. The main thing is staying calm and collected and keeping things light hearted."
Futo cleared 4.65 metres on his third attempt, setting the new OFSAA mark, also a Canadian interscholastic.
"I was feeling good," Atkinson said. "Last year I jumped 3.30 at OFSAA. Now I'm jumping 4.50."
Atkinson also took silver a year ago at OFSAA, with Futo golden with a leap over four metres.
Over the past year Atkinson transformed his style of vaulting.
"My entire vault is almost different because last year I wasn't going upside down. Now I'm going with bigger poles, longer runs, more technique, from coaching all around," Atkinson explained.
And he's actually closer to Futo than a year ago.
"Last year, Christian was so far ahead and now I'm starting to catch his tail."
Next up for Atkinson are the
National championships in Ottawa next month.
St. Joe's Libby McCurdy added to her OFSAA medal collection, with a bronze in
senior women's pole vault, with a season's best 3.55 metres, wearing new shoes
only hours in her possession.
"It was a really good day. I almost got a PB. I jumped 3.55 and I have not jumped close to 3.55 all season," McCurdy said.
From previous OFSAAs, McCurdy has all the medal colours with a bronze in novice, gold as a junior and silver a year ago as a first year senior.
Back in Grade nine, McCurdy never figured to be competing in pole vault throughout her high school years, until meeting coach Rachel Wolf.
"I would be shocked, because I got thrown in to pole vault not willingly in Grade 9," laughed McCurdy. "Rachel grabbed me, took me out of one of my events and threw me in to pole vault. I remember telling my parents, I don't want to do this. They were like, just try it. Then I got to OFSAA and I got second. I didn't realize how big of a deal it was."
"Now I love pole vault and OFSAA is one of my favourite meets of the year."
Not making OFSAA this year, may have crossed McCurdy's mind at the Thames Valley Regional (TVRA) championships, following an eighth place result clearing just 2.60 metres.
McCurdy overcame the adversity gradually returned to her usual form, making 3.20 metres at WOSSAA and taking a jump-off at regionals clearing 3.40 metres.
"I had a rough start," McCurdy said. "I started focusing more on track and I started putting more effort in at practice. Then it just all kind of fell back in place."
McCurdy credits coach Wolf and her teammates for pushing her to return to form.
An added bonus to her silver medal was competing in shoes McCurdy had been wanting since last season, but have been sold out everywhere, although the circumstances weren't ideal.
"I forgot my spikes," explained McCurdy. "I had no way of getting them, so I thought I was going to be doomed. Coincidentally, my mom and I were already looking for new spikes. My mom called this one place and they had one pair left, in my size and it was in Toronto."
Capping McCurdy's OFSAA experience
was having Olympian Alyssa Newman present the medals.
Dorchester Beavers Andrew Urquhart placed eight in senior men's discus (46.73m)
and 13th in shot put (14.01m).
Parkside Stampeders Brendan McCausland finished eighth in junior men's high jump (1.75m).
East Elgin Eagles Louisa Begemann was eighth in novice women's discus (26.37m).
Parkside's Amy Williamson, battling a lower body injury, placed 10th in novice women's long jump (4.69m) and 18th in triple jump (9.54m).
Dorchester's Will Downing finished eighth in the junior men's 100-metre hurdles (14.41 seconds) and 17th in the 300-metre hurdles (42.81 seconds).
Dorchester's Kirk Hallman finished 13th in the senior men's 1500-metre heats (3:58.01) on day one, missing qualifying for the final by one position.
St. Thomas Legion track and field club coach Harry Stantsos saw athlete Breanna Sloetjes, who attends Strathroy District, bring home silver in senior women's high jump. Sloetjes and champion Victoria Vaughan both cleared 1.68 metres, but Vaughan had no misses at previous heights. Sloetjes had just one.
Breanna's younger brother, Joel, placed 11th in novice boys high jump (1.65m).
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