Drumheller is well represented in the Alberta Summer Games coming up this week in Leduc.
Payton Zacharuk, 16, is competing in the track and field throwing events. She competed last year in the discus and shotput. This year she qualified for all four throwing events, including the hammer throw and javelin.
“She is the only one in the zone to qualify for all four events,” said mother Elizabeth Zacharuk.
This was an exceptional feat, considering that at last year’s event she tore her ACL and MCL and was not able to take on her usual five days a week training regime.
Payton has been having a strong season. Last weekend she competed at the Midget, Youth and Masters Provincial Championships in Sherwood Park where she won bronze in the hammer throw. The weekend before, she went to the Junior Provincials in Calgary, where she went up an age group to the junior level and won bronze. Her mother Elizabeth competed at the master and won four medals.
This will be Payton’s last Alberta Summer Games, but it is surely not the end of her track and field career. It was just announced that she made the Alberta team for the Western Canadian Tri-Prov Championships. This event brings together the top athletes from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. This year the event is in Regina.
The Alberta Summer Games are from July 14-17 and features more than 3,000 athletes of ages ranging from 11-17 competing in 14 different sports.
