Athlete of the Week: Dylan Armstrong
Dylan Armstrong put himself back on the world championship podium this past week, capturing shot put bronze at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow. Armstrong won silver at the last outdoor world championships two years ago in Daegu.
Armstrong needed a season’s best effort to win the medal. Sitting in fourth place, Armstrong’s fifth of six attempts hit a distance of 21.34m, putting him ahead of the 21.12m recorded by American Reese Hoffa. Armstrong is the fifth Canadian athlete to win two IAAF World Championship outdoor medals in the same event, following Donovan Bailey (100m), Bruny Surin (100m), Mark Boswell (high jump), Mike Smith (decathlon) and Perdita Felicien (100m hurdles).
Momentum has been on Canada’s side in Moscow. With Armstrong’s bronze, Canada matched the country’s best-ever performance at the IAAF World Championships. Damian Warner and Brianne Theisen-Eaton, our Athletes of the Week for June 2-8, won decathlon bronze and heptathlon silver, respectively. High jumper Derek Drouin, our Athlete of the Week for June 16-22, also won a bronze medal.
Canada’s previous best IAAF World Championships were in 1995 in Gothenburg, Sweden when Bailey and Surin won gold and silver in the 100m before winning gold as part of the 4x100m relay team with Glenroy Gilbert and Robert Esmie and decathlete Smith captured a bronze medal.
