Adam Keenan moved to Kamloops when he was 17 years old to train with legendary hammer throw coach Anatoliy Bondarchuk (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

ADAM KEENAN

Former Kamloops-based hammer thrower keeping close ties with legendary coach

Jun 11, 2021 | 12:50 PM

KAMLOOPS — Adam Keenan was a fresh-faced teenager when he moved to Kamloops in 2011.

The then-17 year old wanted to work with the best in the business — that is, Anatoliy Bondarchuk — more commonly known around these parts as ‘Dr. B.’

“I started working with Dr. B when I was 17. I moved up here from Victoria and I lived here until the very end of 2015 and then moved away, but Dr. B and I have still been working together through distance.”

Starting in 2016, Keenan headed south on a scholarship to Northern Arizona University.

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“Dr. B encouraged me to take the scholarship. He’s a big proponent of getting an education, so after I finished that (in 2018), I moved back to Victoria,” he said.

The 27-year-old hammer thrower finds that coming to Kamloops is an escape from his life on the Island.

“I try to make it up as often as I can,” said Keenan. “I have a couple jobs in Victoria that I do, but that’s why it’s nice to come up here. I can just solely focus on training, and then when I go back to Victoria, it’s balancing the two.”

Keenan was again in the city last weekend to compete in the Kamloops Throws Festival — an Athletics Canada event and Olympic qualifier. Keenan threw a person best of 75.29 metres.

“Honestly, after the season I’ve been having [with injuries], it’s like a huge weight’s been lifted off my shoulders,” said Keenan. “Dr. B and my other coach Sheldon have been saying, ‘June is what matters. June is what matters. Keep your nose down. Keep working.’ It’s sometimes difficult to trust in the process, but when you have a meet like this, it all becomes crystal clear.”

Keenan had been dealing with a back strain that cropped up in March. It meant he lost a month of training.

He was two metres short of the 77.50 Olympic hammer standard last weekend, but he’s back on track and now looking forward to the Canadian Track and Field Championship from June 24-27 in Montreal.

“We’re just going to keep building until we get to the top 32 spot of the Olympic qualifier.”