By Dan Marshall

Olympian Mike Mason returns home to join the Nanaimo Track and Field Club

Nov 30, 2016 | 9:31 AM

NANAIMO — Olympic high jumper Mike Mason has returned to his roots. 

He’s back living at his childhood home in Nanoose Bay and training with the Nanaimo Track and Field Club. In 2016 he finished 18th at the Rio Olympics, he was 8th at the London games in 2012, and finished 19th at the 2008 Beijing games.

Mason, 30, also has a silver medal at the 2015 Pan Am Games on his resume as well as a IAAF gold medal as a junior in 2004. He had been attending university in the lower mainland but he says everything just seemed to fall into place in terms of moving his training to Nanaimo.

“It was time for a change for me after the Olympic year. I was looking at all my options and Nanaimo just had everything that I would need. It was actually a pretty easy decision,” said Mason.

Currently Mason is in his seventh week of training. He’s working with coach Paul Little, who he knows very well since the two used to train together. Mason says he’s training four to five times a week.

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“I do pretty much all my work right at the track,” said Mason. “They have weights there for me too so I’ll do some work out there running around the track and then go into the weight room and do all my lifts. The coach wants me to jump a little bit less this year, maybe once a week and I’m used to doing jump practices twice a week. Weights have always been a big part of the program for me, and plyometrics. Right now I’m in my fall conditioning so I’m doing a lot of running and a lot of hill work.”

The early portion of the year didn’t go as well as Mason would have liked and that included some injury issues. He’s hoping a change in his training sets him up for a strong showing at the upcoming world championships in London next summer. 

Nanaimo Track and Field Club spokesman Phillip Vannini says just having the presence of a competitor like Mason around the club will have a positive impact on many young local athletes.

“He can mentor so many of the younger athletes. Just being able to train next to him is absolutely fantastic. I’ve had the opportunity in the past when I was an athlete to train next to high level athletes way, way above my level. Just to see the discipline, just to see the focus, and the concentration and the drive, it’s something that inspires young kids,” said Vannini.

Mason is planning on a return to Olympic competition at the 2020 games in Tokyo, and perhaps his presence in Nanaimo will be the catalyst for other local athletes to compete at the highest level.