Andrea Diener is throwing her weight around as a Canadian Masters Athletics’ record holder.
The St. Albert mother of four established the new W40 division indoor weight throw mark of 11.04 metres in her first competitive season since training for the 2005 World Masters Games in Edmonton.
Diener, 44, pulled off her personal best throw ever in competition at the Last Chance Meet hosted by Athletics Alberta in November at the Butterdome.
“It felt really good to be able to do that,” said the former student-athlete thrower with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. “It just goes to show I’m probably smarter and maybe in some ways fitter than I was when I was in my early 20s training even though I had maybe more strength back then.”
The latest W40 indoor weight throw rankings listed Diener first in Canada and second in the world.
The record-breaking toss was set on her sixth and last attempt after three fouls and successful efforts of 10.72 and 10.87 metres.
“I knew it was a good throw. It was further than the other ones so I was pretty happy. My anticipation was up there,” said the only masters’ athlete at the St. Albert Mustangs Track and Field Club.
Diener was trending in the right direction toward setting the record after landing a 12.24 metre throw in training a couple of weeks before the Last Chance Meet.
“I wouldn’t mind trying to beat my record a couple of times before I turn 45 because I go up an age group.”
Last year, Diener was at a stage in life “to dedicate myself to a sport that I always really loved, but just didn’t have enough time to really pursue it anymore,” and started training again in the discus, shot put, javelin and weight throw events, as well as hurdles and triple jump.
“It’s something I’ve always been passionate about in junior high, high school and university and then I got away from it for awhile and got busy with my career and having children,” said Diener, who grew up on a farm in Watson, Sask., graduated in kinesiology as a university student in Saskatoon and was an Edmonton city police officer before taking early retirement from the force.
“I really missed it,” Diener added. “I like that it’s something you can do personally and try and achieve different goals for yourself. It’s my own thing on my own time.
“Barring any injuries hopefully I will be able to do it now for a long time.”
The fitness component was also extra incentive for Diener to resume training in the various athletics’ disciplines.
“Being active has always been a very important part of my life from when I was a police officer to having to be in good shape to do the requirements of my job to just wanting to be fit and healthy and live a good productive life."
The 2021 World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships in Edmonton was another reason for Diener to start throwing again.
“I wanted to get back into it and start training for that and then I realized there are a whole bunch of other really big masters’ competitions coming up,” said the administration assistant at NUVO Dental in St. Albert.
The major highlight of her first season was the North, Central American and Caribbean Region of World Masters Athletic Championships in July at Toronto. The medal haul in the outdoor W40 division included gold in javelin (29.62m) silver in discus (30.70m), shot put (10.02m) and throws pentathlon, the first of her career, and bronze in the triple jump (8.31m) as well as placing fourth in the weight throw at 10.32m (Angela Herzner of the United States was first at 14.17m) and fifth in hurdles (15.31 seconds).
“The meet in Toronto was fantastic. These women are in phenomenal shape and phenomenal throwers, way better than I will be or was in the past, and they’re just normal people. In competition it's not like they feel they’re better than you, they’re just very welcoming. It was such a great, great vibe,” Diener said. “I will say this until the end of time: masters’ athletes are amazing. You have people that competed in Olympics, you have people that have gone to the Commonwealth Games, done Pan American Games, been really good in high school, been really good as a young adult and we're all back in it together in our 40s or whatever throwing and it’s just really neat. Everybody is very supportive and very friendly. It’s just such a great atmosphere.”
Last year in November, Diener approached the Mustangs Track Club at the Sports Day in St. Albert exhibit at Servus Credit Union Place to see if it had a masters’ program.
“They said they didn’t at the time, but they were thinking about bringing it into the club and offering it because there is not a ton of clubs that train masters. There is the Edmonton Masters Track and Field Club and I did start out with them, but I knew for the (2019) outdoor season I wouldn't be able to do that with hauling the kids to practice in St. Albert and myself going to Edmonton,” said Diener, who spends the winter months honing her throwing skills at the Servus Place field houses, in addition to doing a variety of workout classes at the city facility.
“I did chat with the Mustangs later on and they said they were going to offer masters so I became their first masters’ athlete.”
Diener's children, three girls and one boy ranging in age from six to 11, joined their mom at training sessions at Fowler Athletic Park as Mustangs themselves.
“My kids are proud of what I’m doing,” Diener said of being the oldest athlete with the Mustangs. “It’s pretty cool and really interesting too. Not only do I train with my throws’ group with the Mustangs, I also train with some of the sprinters and it was fun for me to get back into doing hurdles. It’s something I also loved in high school, but hadn’t done it since high school and I wasn’t sure if I still had the technique and the form and flexibility to do.
“The first day when I showed up at the track (the athletes) I’m pretty sure were wondering who let this lady onto the track to do sprints. They were quite confused as to who I was and what I was all about or what I can even do still,” Diener said. "I’m sure they were thinking, ‘Geez, you know what? She is pretty good. She can actually do what we have to do out here.’ And now they're always asking me how things are and how my competitions are going. It’s quite cute.”
The lengthy layoff from winning multiple medals at the World Masters Games as a thrower in the 30-plus division didn’t stop Diener from returning to form with top finishes at the Alberta Indoor Games in February in the W35-49 shot put (9.21m) and weight throw (8.09m) and the Canadian Masters Indoor Championships in March at Edmonton in the W40 shot put (9.70m) and weight throw (8.54m).
“It wasn’t bad for smoothness. I was happy with what I did in the spring. I knew I could do more, but with your timing and everything else you realize how much you’ve lost over that many years of not doing it,” Diener said. “I have lots of work to still do, but it's getting better. I've had lots of help along the way from different coaches so that’s been wonderful too to get back into that and learn new things.”
Does Diener consider herself a role model for others?
“I hope so. I really hope they take the next step to do it because they will find it’s a lot of fun. It's good to have something that you’re passionate about and still be able to do that when you're older.”
