DCVI student Jarod Medd ranked 12th in the province
By Pat Payton
He was only four years old when he competed in his first triathlon. That was in Lakeside in 2006.
Now 17, St. Marys athlete Jarod Medd is making a name for himself in the Triathlon Ontario Junior Cup series; a series for Junior elite triathletes (aged 16-19) throughout the province.
The Grade 12 DCVI student competed well in four Junior Cup events (in Peterborough, Ottawa, Toronto and Welland) this summer and finished with a 2019 ranking of 12th overall in the province. Athletes receive points based on their placing in each race, with the overall series rankings determined by the athlete’s best three race results. Medd was ranked 13th a year ago.
A triathlon for Juniors consists of a 750-metre swim, 20-k.m. on the bike, and a finishing 5 k.m. run.
Medd has “seriously” competed in triathlons since he was 12 when he started training all year round. What does he most like about being a triathlete, Medd was asked.
“The sense of accomplishment,” he said. “It takes hard work to compete, and I like a challenge. I also like hanging around the team LPC members. It’s just training with other teammates and it helps you improve.”
Coached by Guelph resident James Loaring, Medd belongs to Loaring’s LPC high performance Hurdle Team. To get accepted, you have to be “committed” to your sport, he explains. Most of the LPC (Loaring Personal Coaching) team members are from Ontario.
There were plenty of highlights for Medd this past summer.
He and team LPC won the Ontario Provincial Triathlon Club Championship for an unprecedented fourth time in five years at Wasaga. Individually, he came in a strong 25th out of 498 competitors. He also competed in the Ontario Mixed Relay Championship at Ontario Place in Toronto.
Meets retired Olympian Simon Whitfield
Another big thrill was meeting four-time Olympian (gold and silver medalist) Simon Whitfield, 44, and he even lent Whitfield a swim cap and goggles at the Toronto Triathlon. “He decided to enter one of the races and needed some goggles, so he borrowed mine,” Medd said. They later met up and posed for some photos together.
At his Junior race in Welland, Medd’s teammates Matt Fong and Isabella Mastroianni captured both the male and female Ontario Provincial Cup Championships titles.
A Quarry lifeguard, Medd completed his summer by winning the local triathlon in Lakeside on Sept. 8. He finished third in the same event in 2017.
Jarod Medd is also very active as a Saluki athlete. The 6 ft., 4 inch, 178 lb. Medd is a member of the DCVI Senior boys volleyball team and the Nordic ski team. Medd and his Saluki teammates qualified for the OFSAA ‘A’ volleyball championship in Belleville last season. He also competed in OFSAA Nordic skiing in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
As well, Medd competed at the 2018 Ontario Summer Games in London as a triathlete, finishing 18th out of 24 males. It featured the best in the province as athletes had to qualify in the series races the previous year.
