Greenland athlete breaks world record in two-foot high kick jump
Nunavut and Nunavik athletes also score high in Arctic games
Greenlandic athlete Petra Amossen receives a gold medal for her record-breaking two-foot high kick jump at Arctic Winter Games on Tuesday. (Photo by Arty Sakisian)
A Greenlandic athlete made history Tuesday by breaking a world record with her two-foot high kick in the Arctic Winter Games.
Breton McNeil, 30, makes a two-foot high jump at the Arctic Winter Games competition on Tuesday. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
Petra Amossen, 21, made a 2.03-metre jump, breaking the 1.96-metre record previously set by Alaskan athlete Nicole Johnston.
“Sometimes you just witness people make history,” said 19-year-old David Audlakiak, from Arctic Bay, after Amossen received her gold medal for the jump.
Audlakiak participated in the male category, which was running at the same time at the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Secondary School in Whitehorse.
The two-foot high kick is one of 10 Arctic sports included in the Arctic Winter Games along with one-foot high kick, Alaskan high kick, kneel jump, triple jump, arm pull, airplane, one-hand reach, head pull and knuckle hop.
In two-foot high kick, athletes must jump, touch a hanging target with both feet, and then land on both feet without falling.
“It helps improve your power and endurance,” said Breton McNeil of Iqaluit, who won a silver medal for the triple jump on Monday.
“I have only been doing this for about a year and now I won a silver medal, so I’m pretty proud.”
On Wednesday, McNeil jumped 2.13 metres, the highest among the four Nunavut athletes participating. Audlakiak’s jump was 1.82 metres, while Adrian Olayuk and Joey Komakjuaq weren’t able to complete the set.
In the female category, Danica Taylor of Rankin Inlet earned fourth place with 1.82-metre jump, while Naja Pearce, from Iqaluit, hit 1.52 metres.
Nunavik athletes only participated in the male category. Joseph Nowkawalk of Inukjuak made the highest jump, at 2.23 metres. Terry Lemire from Kuujjuaq jumped 2.03 metres, and Steven Aupalu of Puvirnituq made 1.93 metres. Sajuili Tullaugak of Ivujivik didn’t complete the jump.
On Wednesday, the athletes are moving on to the other Arctic sports: knuckle hop at 3 p.m. MT (6 p.m. ET), men’s Alaska high kick at 10 a.m. MT (1 p.m. ET) and female one-foot high kick at 6 p.m. MT (9 p.m. ET).
The Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse opened Sunday and run until Saturday. They brought together approximately 2,000 athletes from eight circumpolar regions Nunavut, Nunavik, Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, northern Alberta, Greenland and the Sápmi region of Scandinavia.
I’m no expert but, her kick clearly wasn’t good. Both feet spread apart and touched with one foot right? I’ve seen so many kicks called off with that same motion in many games. Just asking for a friend.