The mid-Island achieved out-sized success in the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics. That was evidenced by hammer-throw champion Ethan Katzberg of Nanaimo and double gold-medallist swimmer Nicholas Bennett of Parksville named closing ceremony flag-bearers for ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½, respectively in the two events, at the Stade de France.
Paris Olympics gold-medallist Katzberg will return to where it began for him at the Nanaimo Track and Field Club, at the Rotary Bowl, on Sept. 26 at 10:30 a.m. as the City of Nanaimo holds a celebration in his honour.
“Wear red and white and bring a lawn chair,” said Nanaimo mayor Leonard Krog, in a video released on X. “It would be wonderful to have us all out there celebrating our current and past Olympians.”
Krog is making good on his promise in a statement in August after Katzberg won the gold medal with a massive first throw of 84.12 metres that could not be bested by the field: “Ethan Katzberg [is] bringing a gold medal home to ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ and reminding folks around the world that Nanaimo is a city that’s known for much more than our famous dessert. Ethan, on behalf of the City of Nanaimo and all of our residents celebrating with you, thank you and congratulations on a spectacular and dominant victory on the greatest athletic world stage. We look forward to welcoming you back home.”
The six-foot-six, 236-pound Island thrower, at 22, became the youngest Olympic hammer-throw gold medallist. It was the first Olympic gold medal in the hammer for ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ and the first Olympic medal in the event for the nation in well over a century since Duncan Gillis won silver at Stockholm in 1912.
Fellow ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ hammer-thrower Camryn Rogers of Richmond followed up days later by winning Olympic women’s gold in the Stade de France as this province suddenly became the world hammer epicentre.
Katzberg never forgot his roots.
“I am very happy to represent Vancouver Island,” he told the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½, in Paris. “The Nanaimo Track and Field Club is what started it all.”
He did a variety of disciplines in the NTFC even though basketball became his love through his years at John Barsby Secondary.
“I was a skinny basketball player. Definitely not the ideal build for hammer, but we got there,” said Katzberg.
Watching his older sister, Jessica, throw hammer at Barsby got Ethan interested in trying it out. The siblings were first coached by their dad, Bernie Katzberg.
“We were a track and field family. It’s really great to support Nanaimo and the track club there. I did every sport growing up. I don’t know why my sister fell into hammer and then I fell in love with it,” Katzberg told the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½.
It led to gold for Katzberg, among the three medals for ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ won by Island or Island-based athletes at the Paris Olympic Games, including the silver medals won by the Langford-based women’s rugby sevens team and the North Cowichan-based women’s rowing eight.
Island athletes followed up by winning eight medals, including five gold, in the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
