Sports
Wolf Mahler wins AAU decathlon
Thursday, 23 August 2012 by David Tuma
Wolf Mahler a standout athlete at Belton High School didn't just win the Men division decathlon, he dominated the event winning by over 1,000 point over second place. It was the second straight year Mahler won the AAU Junior Olympics decathlon.
"I have been around him for four years and nothing Wolf does surprises me. He has a great family and it was fun to watch him compete. I got to go with them and they were fun to be around," said Levi Jordan. Jordan was supposed to compete in the discus but was injured and couldn't compete this year. He went with the Mahler family and participated that way.
He won five of the 10 events and his total of 7,274 points was off the charts in terms of the competition. Mahler won the 440 (49.76), discus (147 feet) javelin (171-6), 1,500 4:32 and 100 (11.13). He tied for first in the pole vault.
"I knew I was going to win it. I was trying to beat my personal record in total points. Trying to stay healthy is a big part of it. I had shin splints before the event and wasn't able to run like I normally would training for the meet. I spent a lot of time on the bike. I pulled a hamstring and had to deal with that also. It makes it hard to train when you are injured," said Mahler.
What made his performance special is that Mahler injured his knee against Cove in September of last year and worked hard to not only rehabilitate his knee but get in top physical condition. Mahler was one of a host of injuries the Tigers incurred in the Midway and Cove games. Mahler, isn't playing football this fall to concentrate on track.
"He has been training hard. It takes a lot of work to compete in an event that has that many events. It isn't easy coming back from an injury and he is a great kid. Wolf has been working out on his own and training on his own," said Belton Assistant Athletic Director Michael Morgan.
