Hammer throw, shot put and discus
Calder Johnston has thrown his lot into track and field and it has paid off.
The 15-year-old White City area resident has excelled in the 2023-24 indoor meet season, having returned from the Golden Bear Open in Edmonton (Jan. 23-24) with gold medals in weight (hammer) throw, shot put and discus. Last summer, he competed in the youth Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships in Sherbrooke, Que. He placed third in the U16 boys discus, throwing 47.14 metres in the final, third in the U16 hammer throw with 51.21 metres, and sixth in the U16 weight (hammer) throw at 14.59. That’s a pretty good lead-in to his next event, the Regina Indoor Games, Feb. 9-10
“Travel is sometimes hard on my body so I like when there’s local competitions like that one, where I can just stay home,” Johnston said.
Having grown up watching his father Jason compete nationally on the Highland Games circuit, Johnston thought he may want to pursue similar athletic activities. While the COVID pandemic delayed him at the start, he began training in shot put and discus in his Grade 8 year and quickly succeeded.
“In my division, I got second in shot put, first in discus, and that triggered my love for it,” Johnston said. “My dad has a throwing background and combining his knowledge in the sport and my interest in it, we decided to give this a try.”
Aside from training with the Excel Athletika club in Regina, Johnston keeps his form through weight training in his father’s garage gym. He’s able to train eight to 10 hours a week in his sport. However, unlike team sports, where motivation can be generated from other teammates, Johnston has to find his own path.
“It’s something I’m very passionate about, and when I go to track, I’m excited because it’s something I excel at,” Johnston said. “I truly love it. My dad brought me through the highs and lows and taught me the basics. I’m also watching shot put world champion Ryan Crouser (an American athlete) and other successful athletes so I can imitate how they throw or see what they do on and off the track. I kind of make my own path forward.”
Part of that path is joining his father at Highland Games as a competitor, where throwing stones (literally), and cabers offers some unique cross-training opportunities. In those games, rather than a metal shot put, braemar and open stones, sometimes weighing approximately the same as a curling stone — sometimes heavier, are thrown using different techniques. There is also a hammer event, where unlike track events, feet remain stationary and all momentum is generated by the arms.
“Given my passion for throwing, I decided, with my dad doing it and having knowledge of the sport, we decided to try it,” Johnston said. “I’ve loved it ever since.”
Track doesn’t get a ton of media attention compared to other sports, so Johnston seeks out You Tube and streaming coverage of elite track meets such as the professional-level Diamond League events he hopes to join one day.
“I definitely want a professional career in this sport,” Johnston said. “It’s something I’ve dreamed about. Knowing others have done this motivates me for sure. When you are professional, you have to make money and track isn’t one of those lucrative sports so you make most of your money in sponsorship deals. Nike has track and field shoes and equipment, and people get sponsorship deals from supplements and shoes, clothing and gear. You can make money off that.”
For now, the Grade 10 student at Martin Collegiate is hoping to combine his athletic interests with academic interests in science after high school.
“I have found interest in carpentry and architecture, and I do like sciences like biology and sport sciences,” Johnston said. “Any type of sciences, I find an interest. My dad is a paramedic and my mom is a respiratory therapist and my grandma was a physiotherapist. So, hands on work, I find that interesting. Things like nutrition, and how a body recovers, things like that help me stay on my A game.”
Johnston’s Honour Roll
Saskatchewan Indoor Track Record Holder: U16 16 lbs. Weight Throw — 19.22m; U16 4 kg Hammer Throw — 52.79m. Saskatchewan High School Provincial: Discus — Gold medal; Shot Put — Silver. Open Saskatchewan Provincial: Shot Put — Gold; Discus — Gold; Hammer — Gold. Western Canadian Inter-Provincial: Shot Put — Gold; Discus — Gold; Hammer — Gold. Athletics Canada Ranking: Indoor U16; First in Throws. Saskatchewan Athletics 2023 Athlete of the Year
