“Around the Oval’’
R.I. Track & Field Foundation
Barrington’s Bobby Colantonio and Adam Kelly, the state’s – and nation’s – top two hammer throwers, competed last weekend at the U.S. Junior T&F Championships, held in Eugene, Oregon. Colantonio, who will be a senior at Barrington High this fall, won the 6-kilogram (13-lb.) hammer with a personal-best throw of 232-5 (70.85 meters). The mark is also a new R.I. record for that implement. Princeton-bound Kelly finished second with a toss of 228-7 (69.67) with the 6-kilo ball. The previous state mark was 230-4 (70.20) set by Kelly this May at the International Hammer Competition.
Both Colantonio and Kelly will be on the U.S. Junior National Team for the Pan American Junior Championships in Alberta, Canada later this summer.
At the World Youth Trials this week in Lisle, Ill., Colantonio won the 5-kilo (11-lb.) hammer with a toss of 232-5. The meet is a qualifier for the IAAF World Youth Championships in Columbia, South America.
Meanwhile, at the USATF Hershey Youth Outdoor Championships in Illinois, Colantonio threw the 5.44-kilo (high school weight) hammer a winning 224-2 (68.34).