St. John's athlete Andrew Wood named top performer at national scouting event
Wood wins trip to 2018 Winter Olympics and up to $30K to kick-start Olympic dream
An athlete from St. John's who is vying to compete in the Olympics has been named Atlantic Canada's Top Performer at a national scouting event.
Andrew Wood, 21, who grew up playing basketball before switching to track and field in university, was picked from a field of more than 100 for the top award at the RBC Training Ground event in Halifax this weekend.
We have a winner! Congratulations to Andrew Wood for winning <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RBCTrainingGround?src=hash">#RBCTrainingGround</a> Halifax. Find out how you can compete rbctrainingground.ca <a href="https://t.co/qw66g4iy4b">pic.twitter.com/qw66g4iy4b</a>
—@CBCOlympicsAthletes between the ages of 14 and 25 were invited to attend the event to measure their speed, power, strength and endurance. Each participant had a chance to try and hit performance benchmarks set by national sport organizations that are scouting for young talented athletes with Olympic medal potential.
Trip to South Korea
More than 1,300 young athletes participated so far this year, but only five are named as top performers. Those picked get up to $10,000 per year for three years to kick-start their Olympic dreams and win a trip to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in South Korea.
I feel amazing right now, I'm shaking a bit. I didn't expect to win, but I'm super proud.- Andrew Wood
Wood hit multiple national benchmarks at the regional final and was the top male for standing long jump and 40m sprint.
He has attracted the attention of at least three different national sport organizations with his impressive speed and power — qualities that are important to sports like bobsleigh, athletics and rugby.
He advanced to the regional event in Halifax after his strong performance at a regional qualifier in St. John's in April
"Athletics has been a huge part of my life throughout the past few years. I feel amazing right now, I'm shaking a bit. I didn't expect to win, but I'm super proud," Wood said following the event. "I came in to the competition today just wanting to have fun and see what happens."