June 26, 2015
Former University of Notre Dame track & field standout Maddie Buttinger (’12) last weekend won her first Canadian senior women’s heptathlon title. The event, held at Terry Fox Athletic Facility at Mooney’s Bay in Ottawa, also served as the Canadian Junior Combined Events Championships, and is part of the 2015 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Combined Events Challenge Series.
Buttinger, who competes for the University of Toronto Track Club, posted a score of 5,643 to earn the bronze medal in the IAAF World Combined Events Capital Cup Challenge.
“It has been seven years since winning the Canadian junior heptathlon title, and after battling through injuries I am excited to win my first Canadian senior heptathlon title,” Buttinger said. “It helps to affirm that all my hard work and support I have received from my family, friends and employer, Deloitte Canada, is making me stronger and a better athlete. I had a couple of great days competing and it was a really good opportunity to compete against such a strong field of world class athletes at such a well run event. I feel confident that even better results are just around the corner. I am looking forward to my next competition to compete for Canada.”
In the heptathlon championship, Buttinger was in third place with 3,358 points after four events during the first day of the competition. She registered a 100-meter hurdle time of 14.56 seconds (901 points), a high jump of 1.71 meters (867 points), a shot put of 12.75 meters (711 points) and a 200-meter run of 25.08 seconds (879 points).
On the second and final day of the competition, Buttinger put together three strong events to secure the heptathlon title. Her long jump of 5.89 meters (816 points) was the second-best score of the competition, while her javelin throw of 37.27 meters (615 points) moved her up to second place in the heptathlon standings.
Buttinger was in sixth place overall heading into the final event and trailed Jillian Drouin by 22 points for second place on the Canadian side. In the last event, the 800 meters, Buttinger won the elite heat in a time of 2:17.77 (854 points) to secure the Canadian heptathlon title and earn the IAAF Capital Cup bronze medal.
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