Greater Victoria hopefuls inspired by Team CanadaB次元官网网址檚 success in the hammer throw at the Paris Olympics, will now have to look outside the region for somewhere to try their hand at the sport.

The hammer cage located at Saanich's Lambrick Park Secondary School was decommissioned Wednesday, Aug. 14 by School District 61 who deemed the structure B次元官网网址渦nsafeB次元官网网址� and incapable of being upgraded.

"Safety is our highest priority and as such the structure is being removed," said Caroline Manders from the superintendent's department at School District 61 on the day of the demolition.

The cage, which was closed by the school district in early 2022, has previously been the training ground for the new Olympic hammer throw champion Ethan Katzberg, and VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 very own Adam Keenan, who threw a seasonB次元官网网址檚 best of 74.45 metres in Paris, finishing 13th overall.

The removal has been criticized by Keenan, who prior to his departure for Paris, told Black Press Media that the long journey to train at an alternative cage in Duncan, as well as injury struggles, almost cost him his place at the competition.

The 30-year-old athlete says that the school district has been working with Athletics Victoria for two years to replace the structure and has at times demonstrated that the project is B次元官网网址渘ot a priorityB次元官网网址� for them.

B次元官网网址淢y Olympic career is done now,B次元官网网址� said Keenan, who announced his retirement after the competition. B次元官网网址淏ut we've had two years to get that cage up so that I can have a place to train in Victoria. And it's really hard for me not to wonder what could have been.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲orking with the school district has proved extremely difficult. IB次元官网网址檝e noticed that their attention to detail is quite poor and they're not interested in doing things in a timely manner,B次元官网网址� he added.

At the Paris Games, Keenan witnessed Canadian sporting history, when teammate Katzberg won CanadaB次元官网网址檚 first-ever gold medal in the hammer throw, followed quickly by Camryn Rogers doing the same in the womenB次元官网网址檚 competition. 

B次元官网网址淚 was beaming with pride,B次元官网网址� Keenan said, adding that he has known both Katzberg and Rogers since they were young teenagers. B次元官网网址淲atching them grow into not just the best throwers in the country, but the best throwers in the world, has filled me with nothing but prideB次元官网网址� and go B.C., because we're all from B.C.B次元官网网址�

CanadaB次元官网网址檚 success in the hammer throw has sparked a rising interest in the sport, says Keenan, who was quizzed by curious sporting fans when he landed back in Canada.

B次元官网网址淭hose with children said that their kids were interested in getting involved in hammer throw and that just, I mean, it made my day to hear that,B次元官网网址� he said.

But with no current access to a training cage, Keenan fears what impact this will have on Greater Victoria children wanting to throw themselves into the sport.

B次元官网网址淭his isn't about elite athletes anymore,B次元官网网址� Keenan said. B次元官网网址淭his is about developing physical literacy in our communities, and regardless of what anybody says, that matters. Having kids be able to access safe and fun exercise is crucial in any society.

B次元官网网址淢y life changed because of this, I got a full scholarship to the United States because of throwing, it changed the course of my life. ThatB次元官网网址檚 what I would love to see other people get to have. But it won't happen if we don't put a cage up.B次元官网网址�

The cage removal is also a personal blow for Keenan, as he and his family fundraised for the structure to be installed in 2010.

B次元官网网址淢y grandfather poured the cement for the circle and made the metal insert for it,B次元官网网址� Keenan said. B次元官网网址淢y other grandfather paid for a big portion of the cage. So it's hard not to see it as my family's legacy to sport.B次元官网网址�

In a statement to the press, School District 61 said that they have been working with Athletics Victoria to install a B次元官网网址渕odern and safeB次元官网网址� throwing cage at Oak Bay High, but B次元官网网址渕issing partsB次元官网网址� have delayed the installation. A claim that Keenan denies. 

B次元官网网址淭here's no part missing,B次元官网网址� said Keenan about the cage purchased in March 2023, that was previously housed at the Kamloops national throwing centre. B次元官网网址淥ne of the posts on the cages is bent, and this was communicated to them when we first bought the cage.B次元官网网址�

According to the president of Athletics Victoria, Sean Steele, a structural engineerB次元官网网址檚 report, retained by the school district but paid for by the athletics group, has indicated concerns about the cage and its wind-loading tolerances. But he adds that the report is unclear on how the cage falls short of the engineerB次元官网网址檚 standards.

B次元官网网址淲e will be seeking clarification on this to determine what remediation is needed,B次元官网网址� said Steele, who added that the cageB次元官网网址檚 original manufacturer has advised that it should be B次元官网网址渞elatively easyB次元官网网址� to bring the cage back up to standard.

B次元官网网址淲e are hopeful about having a safer and proper throwing cage for use in the city, and appreciate the work of the school district in support of this as we continue to work steadily through their requirements for installation,B次元官网网址� said Steele.

B次元官网网址淩ight now we donB次元官网网址檛 have a timeline for installation but we are keen to have it done as quickly as possible and practical.B次元官网网址�

For Keenan, that canB次元官网网址檛 come soon enough, saying that post-retirement, he is putting his involvement in the sport on hold.

B次元官网网址淯nfortunately, the last two years have really soured my experience with training in Victoria,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 won't do anything in Victoria until there's a safe place for people to train.B次元官网网址�