Amherstburg athlete does well in his first decathlon

Rhys Sharman of Amherstburg (right) competed in his first triathlon earlier this month. He is pictured with teammate and gold medalist Tristen Miscia (left) and coach Brett Lumley. (Special to the RTT)

An Amherstburg athlete competed in his first decathlon and the results he achieved are leading him to his next one later this month.

Rhys Sharman competed in his first decathlon earlier this month at the Athletics Ontario U20 track and field championships. Sharman finished third in his age group and earned enough points to qualify for nationals at the end of July.

“Being my first one, obviously there were a bit of nerves,” said Sharman, “but also a lot of excitement.” 

Sharman said he achieved personal bests in seven of the ten events, the personal best in the long jump being a particular highlight.

Decathlon is made up of the 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400m, 110m hurdles, discus, javelin, pole vault and 1500m.

“I’m definitely looking forward to competing in the U20 nationals,” he said, with that competition scheduled for July 30-31 in Ottawa.

Sharman attends the University of Windsor where he majors in electrical engineering. Stating he was an all-around athlete at North Star High School in Amherstburg, he was encouraged by Lancer coach Brett Lumley to try decathlon.

“I always found it interesting to do multiple things,” he said. 

Training occurs during both outdoor and indoor seasons. Indoor season sees practices Monday through Friday for two hours each day with practices increasing during outdoor season to three hours on two days or two two-hour practices.

Sharman said he enjoys competing with people with similar goals and it helps him feel he has something to work towards.

Future goals are to compete at the OUA’s, the provincial university championships, and the USport championships, the Canadian championships.

Admitting “some days are quite busy,” Sharman said the coaches at the University of Windsor understand that academics come first and he and other athletes are supportive of them.

“The coaches are very understanding of that,” he said.

Sharman added he is thankful to all who have supported him over the years, including all of the coaches he has had. 

Amherstburg athlete does well in his first decathlon

By Ron Giofu