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Hammer gold for Victoria’s Willett at Canada Summer Games

With apologies to 1960s and 1970s sitcoms, it’s a Family Affair. The Willets like to keep it All in the Family. Hammer-thrower Sam Willett, coached by dad and B.C.
With apologies to 1960s and 1970s sitcoms, it’s a Family Affair. The Willets like to keep it All in the Family. Hammer-thrower Sam Willett, coached by dad and B.C. team throw coach Laurie Willett, accounted for another gold medal by an Island athlete at the 2017 Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg on Tuesday.

“I’ve learned so much from my dad, mainly to be patient and calm and not to get stressed, if things don’t go my way,” said the younger Willett, a Mount Douglas Secondary graduate and University of Victoria microbiology major.

“It helps you survive all the ups and downs.”

Willett threw 54.50 metres for gold, which is off his personal best of 56.84.

“My ultimate goal is the Olympics and world championships. I’ll see if I can get there.”

He seems to be on the right pathway, having also won gold two years ago at the 2015 Western Canada Summer Games in Wood Buffalo, Alta.

The Games began their 2017 edition last weekend and run for two weeks. The first two medalists for B.C. at the 2017 Games were triathletes Desirae Ridenour of Cowichan Bay and Hannah Henry of Victoria with gold and silver, respectively, on Monday. Bryden Hattie and Ryan Grover from Victoria Boardworks also won silver in men’s three-metre synchronized diving and Hattie followed that up Tuesday with silver in one-metre springboard while Boardworks teammate Coral Strugnall captured bronze in three-metre women’s.

cdheensaw@timescolonist.com