Haedyn Bambolo Out Past 48 Feet Again In Girls Shot Put

Story and Photos by Keenan Gray of DyeStat

SHORELINE, Wash. – Before this weekend’s meet at the Shoreline Invitational, Will Floyd hadn’t seen the track since late March. 

For the last month, the Seattle Prep WA star had been nursing a nagging hamstring injury that’s been holding him out of competition. Given the opportunity to return this weekend, Floyd was going to be as cautious as ever in his prime event – the 400 meters.

And by cautious, he means run a U.S. top 10 mark.

INTERVIEWS

Floyd cruised through the boys 400 field Saturday at Shoreline Stadium, running a US#6 time of 46.30 to set a new lifetime best. 

“To come out and run 46.30 right before postseason, it’s nice,” Floyd said. “I was coming for 45, but I’ll take it.”

On the first warm day of the year in Washington, rising temperatures brought the best out of the competitors with multiple personal best efforts, especially Floyd, who ran away from the field by more than three seconds for the win.

“First warm day in Seattle for a while, I tried to go hard,” Floyd said. “I turned it on at 150 and knew I had to give it all I got.”

The U20 Worlds competitor for Team Canada last summer also ran in the boys 4x100 relay earlier in the day to kick start his racing again, anchoring the Panthers to a third-place finish in 42.81.

“Today and next week is about getting repetition back,” Floyd said. "I haven’t been running much meet wise. Being able to hold two events in a meet, 4x100 felt good and I feel good now.”

Bothell WA’s Haedyn Bambolo continued her statewide shot put dominance with another enormous win in the girls competition.

Following Wednesday’s league meet where she threw a US#6 mark of 48-7, the University of Arizona bound thrower threw within two inches of her personal best mark, throwing 48-5 to win by more than nine feet.

“I was really relaxed,” Bambolo said. “I think I could have thrown further. If shot put was earlier in the day, I would have thrown further. I was sitting in the sun for eight hours and I’ve been more comfortable going from ring to ring by trusting myself and catching myself.” 

Bambolo’s best mark came during finals on her first throw. She followed with a second attempt that would have been over 49 feet, but she stepped over the ring. On her last throw, she hit around 45 feet. 

Earlier in the morning, Bambolo also won the girls discus with a throw of 131-0, winning by almost 18 feet.

Bear Creek WA’s Braelyn Baker took first in both the girls 100 and 200 races, running 12.11 in the 100 through a strong head wind in the morning and later ran 24.23 in the 200.

Seattle Academy WA’s Reggie Witherspoon III also swept the 100 and 200 races, winning on the boys side in 10.75 and 22.00. 

Curtis WA’s Ava Simms went toe-to-toe with former Washington 3A state champion Meadowdale WA’s Tresley Love in the girls 400, with Simms having the slight edge in the end by a margin of 56.24 to 56.98.

Kamiak WA’s Kalia Estes won both the 100-and 300-meter hurdle races on the girls side, running 15.17 and a personal best 44.23. 

Lincoln-Tacoma WA’s Jonathan Frazier won the boys 110 hurdles in 14.86, and Liberty-Issaquah WA’s freshman Sutton Flint ran a personal best 39.71 to win the boys 300 hurdles. 

Bellevue WA’s freshman phenom Kalea Hill ran a lifetime best 10:37.62 to win the girls 3,200 by 35 seconds. Lewis and Clark WA’s Evan Bruce won the boys race in 9:18.99.

Shorecrest WA’s Luke Schmidt took home the boys 1,600 title in front of the home crowd, coming from behind to win in a personal best time of 4:13.58. 

Bishop Blanchet WA’s girls distance medley relay team broke a meet record in a time of 12:31.71. The team of Zoe Louis, Anna Sandnes, Molly Adams and Lily LaPorte bested Shorewood by 16 seconds. 

Liberty-Issaquah WA’s 4x400 team of Ethan Jackson, Nicolas Ruiz, Ben Archer and Jackson Moffitt ran a state-leading 3:23.55 to win the boys race over Arlington’s team of Dallas Miller, James Schott, Ryan Rushton and Kellen Langford in 3:23.66.

Kira Angel Marshall, Soukhanya Waters, Marina Velasco Bono and Cassandra Atkins led Federal Way WA to the girls 4x100 title in 49.13, besting Curtis WA’s Shelby Duah, Frankie Skipper, Azariah Miller and Lenice Walston in 49.53.

Skyline WA’s boys 4x100 team, featuring Cameron Weir, Yusouf Elkhawad, Jani’ Weir and Trey Crandall, won in a time of 41.80.

Curtis WA’s Walston, Miller, Noelle Lordahl and Simms led the Vikings to win the girls 4x200 in 1:43.60.

Ava Enriquez of Shorewood WA cleared 11-9 to win the girls pole vault over Northwest Pole Vault Club teammate and Inglemoor WA’s Jacqueline Jones in 11-9. Ballard WA’s Madeline Koening, another Northwest Pole Vault member, was third with a clearance of 11-6.

Federal Way WA’s Roman Hutchinson jumped a lifetime best 24-3 to win the boys long jump over Garfield’s Tawaf Aboudou in 23-0.50.

Mercer Island WA’s Azah Khan bested Federal Way’s Jaylon Jenkins and Julian Gene Fortin in the boys triple jump, setting a personal best mark of 46-10.50. Jenkins was second at 46-6, with teammate Gene Fortin in third at 46-0.50.