Over the next two days leading up to the New Balance Nationals Indoor Championships, we’re going to highlight a few events that feature RI track & field athletes that could electrify the crowd a little more than the rest.
BOYS’ WEIGHT THROW (SATURDAY)
Here’s an event that Rhode Island always seems to dominate. While we may not populate the podium with our athletes this weekend, there’s a very good chance we could strike gold for the second year in a row. Lincoln’s Christian Toro is the top seed in this event with a best of 79 feet. 1.25 inches. Toro ranks No. 2 in the country behind Georgia’s Max Herman of Marietta (80-5.75), who is not among the entries for Saturday’s event. Toro has been strong all season long, consistently throwing in the mid-to-high 70-foot range. Last year, Woonsocket’s Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan won this event. To keep the title in the Ocean State, Toro will have to fend off a solid field of competitors, which includes eight athletes that are among the top 10 in the country and 11 that have a best of 70 feet or further. Among those seeds are Michigan’s Kellen Kimes, who ranks No. 3 nationally with a best of 77-0.5, and fellow RI rival Keith Daigneau of Bishop Hendricken, who comes in with a PR of 74-7. North Kingstown’s Keith Wordell could certainly land a top six position. He ranks No. 8 in this field with a best of 70-2. If Toro pulls out a win this weekend, it will be the fifth time in the last nine years that our small state has won this event. In addition to Robinson-O’Hagan, Barrington’s Bobby Colantonio took the top prize in 2016 and fellow Eagle teammate Adam Kelly copped back-to-back crowns in 2014-15.
