Scott Russell

2008 Olympian Scott Russell broke the Canadian javelin throwing record Wednesday at the Toronto International Track and Field Games.

The Brennan high school grad recorded a distance of 84.81 metres on his third throw, beating his own six-year-old Canadian record of 84.41 metres set in 2005.

The throw surpassed the 82-metre benchmark necessary for inclusion into the 2011 IAAF World Track and Field Championships in August in Daegu, South Korea.

Wednesday's event wrapped up the five-stop National Track League series, which had the 32-year-old Russell the leader in points in the javelin competition and the winner of $4,000.

Russell's first throw of 77.72 metres set the mark to beat and was tied by second-place finisher Cyrus Hostetler of the U.S.

Russell, a middle school teacher in Lawrence, Kan, threw 75.21 metres on his second attempt before his third try eclipsed Hostetler's mark by more than seven metres.

Kyle Nielson of Langley, B.C. finished third at 74.14 and also finished second overall in points.

source: windsorstar.com