Sports: Canino wins Golden pole vault at 12 feet

Canino wins Golden pole vault at 12 feet

The Bloomingdale standout and Class 4A champion faces her Tampa Bay rival in Pasco High's Sarah James and beats her by a foot.

By JOE McKINNEY

ORLANDO -- The long-awaited pole-vaulting showdown between Bloomingdale's Chelo Canino and Pasco High's Sarah James finally happened on Saturday, but the hype provided more suspense than the event.

Canino, the Class 4A champion, used a picture-perfect vault at 12 feet to capture the girls title at the Golden South track meet, adding yet another title to her already sparkling resume. Meanwhile, James' post-season woes continued as she cleared just 11 feet to finish in a tie for fourth.

The Golden South meet annually gathers some of the top track-and-field talent in the Southeastern United States. More than 200 athletes from eight states and the Bahamas competed in the prestigious event. For Canino, it was more than a chance to add another medal to her trophy case, but an opportunity to face James, who Canino considers her top rival.

"I have been waiting all year to vault against (James)," said Canino, who will vault for Princeton next year. "She's a good vaulter from the same area as I am, so I wanted to win the big showdown to prove myself."

Saturday's meet was the first time all season the elite vaulters faced each other. James, who finished second at the 3A championships two weeks ago, was disappointed with her performance, but was able to put the meet into perspective.

"I didn't really care about going against (Canino)," James said. "Last year I finished last here so I can definitely say that I improved."

Martin County's Lauren Tinsley almost upstaged the battle. The junior, who is a training partner of Canino's, vaulted a personal-best 12 feet as well. However, Canino claimed the title because she had no misses at the previous height (11-6).

Boca Ciega basketball and track standout Jimmy Baxter won the high jump at 6-10. With title in hand, Baxter tried to clear a Florida prep record 7-4 but failed on three attempts.

Leto's Theo Nalezynski showed he is one of the south's top hurdlers by becoming one of just three athletes to place in the 110-meter high hurdles and the 400 hurdles. Nalezynski ran a solid 14.64 to earn fourth in the 110. About an hour later he finished second in the 400 hurdles, clocking in at 54.38 seconds.

Rolf Steier of Berkeley Prep, who captured the Class A 1,600 and 3,200 titles, made a bold move over the final third of the boys 3,000, rallying from sixth place to finish a close third in 8:46.