Gardner-Webb's Natasha Akbarizadeh Wins 2015 Canadian Junior National Championship
July 06, 2015 | Track & Field
EDMONTON, Alberta – Gardner-Webb rising sophomore Natasha Akbarizadeh staked her claim to the title of "Canada's Best" in the hammer throw, winning the 2015 Canadian Junior National Championships in the discipline on July 4.
Akbarizadeh (Maple Ridge, British Columbia / Garibaldi) posted a top throw of 57.08 meters – the best of her career and the fourth-farthest in the history of the Canadian Junior National Championships. The distance was just shy of the championships record, set by Marie Eve Bioselle in 2005 (57.34 meters).
Akbarizadeh's effort qualified her for the 2015 Pan Am Junior Games, which will be held in Edmonton July 31-August 2 at Foote Field. She was also selected to compete at the 2015 Western Canada Summer Games in Wood Buffalo, Alberta (August 6-11).
The win by Akbarizadeh continued a promising trend for the young hammer standout, with her distances consistently improving throughout her freshman season at Gardner-Webb. Her throw on Saturday in Edmonton was nearly two meters past her previous personal record of 55.43 meters set on April 3 in High Point, N.C.
Akbarizadeh finished fifth at the 2015 Big South Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships in May, posting a throw of 54.10 meters. She was the top freshman in the discipline.
Gardner-Webb Track & Field has a solid history of student-athletes qualifying for international competition, dating back to Hall of Famer Sylivia Chelimo for the Ugandan National Team at the 2000 Africa Senior Athletic Championships in Algeria.
Gardner-Webb Track & Field International Competitors (Since 2000)
Sylivia Chelimo (Ugandan National Team) – 2000 Africa Senior Athletic Championships | 2001 World University Games
Craig Norman (Jamaican National Team) – 2002 Commonwealth Games | 2002 NACAC Championships
Alex Young (USA Junior Team) – 2013 Junior Pan American Games
Natasha Akbarizadeh (Canadian Junior team) – 2015 Junior Pan American Games
