Michael Mason (high jumper)

Michael Mason
Mason in 2008
Personal information
Full nameMichael Robert Christopher Mason
Nationality Canada
Born (1986-09-30) 30 September 1986 (age 38)
New Westminster, British Columbia
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight70 kg (154 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
EventHigh jump
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)High jump: 2.33, Edmonton, Eberstadt, 2015[1]
Medal record
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 2015 Toronto High jump
Silver medal – second place 2019 Lima High jump
Commonwealth Games
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Glasgow High jump
North American, Central American and Caribbean Championships
Silver medal – second place 2018 Toronto High jump
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2004 Grosseto High Jump

Michael Robert Christopher Mason (born 30 September 1986) is a Canadian high jumper. The 2004 World Junior champion, he has represented Canada at the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships, 2010 Commonwealth Games, 2012 Summer Olympics, 2014 Commonwealth Games, 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships and the 2015 Pan American Games. His personal best for the event is 2.33 metres.

Career

He won the IAAF World Junior Championships gold medal in 2004. From Nanoose Bay, British Columbia, Mason is only the second Canadian to win a World Junior Championship gold medal, following Mark Boswell who won in 1996. Mason holds a number of provincial records previously held by retired Canadian high jumper and 1976 Olympic Silver Medallist Greg Joy, including the BC high school, junior and senior records.

Following his world junior win, he set the current NAIA record as a member of the UBC Thunderbirds and was the bronze medalist at the 2006 NACAC U-23 Championships. He jumped a personal best of 2.27 m to win the Canadian title in 2007 Canadian Senior Championships. He is a member of the Valley Royals Track and Field Club and is coached by Ziggy Szelagowicz.

In 2008 Mason improved his personal best during the indoor season, to 2.30 in January in Seattle. At the 2008 World Indoor Championships he finished eighth. He made his Olympic debut a few months later at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and placed eighth in his qualifying group with a jump of 2.25 m, although he missed the final.[2] Competing as a student-athlete, he took the silver medal in the high jump at the 2009 Summer Universiade.[3] The year after he represented Canada at the 2010 Commonwealth Games with a seventh-place finish in the final.[4]

He cleared 2.31 m for the first time at the Baie-Mahault Grand Prix in Guadeloupe, winning the event with a meet record mark.[5] In 2015 Mason improved his indoor personal best to 2.31m at the Millrose Games and his outdoor best to 2.33m at the Edmonton Track Classic.[citation needed]

In the leadup to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Mason came second at the Canadian track and field trials, behind Django Lovett. He was thus named to the Canadian Olympic team.[6] Competing at the Olympic high jump event, he ranked fourteenth in the qualification round and did not advance to the final.[7]

Honours

In 2012 Mason was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.[8]

Achievements

Michael Mason
Year Competition Venue Position Notes
Representing  Canada
2004 World Junior Championships Grosseto, Italy 1st 2.21 m
2006 NACAC U-23 Championships Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 3rd 2.19 m
2007 Universiade Bangkok, Thailand 18th (q) 2.10 m
2008 World Indoor Championships Valencia, Spain 8th 2.27 m
Olympic Games Beijing, China 19th (q) 2.25 m
2009 Universiade Belgrade, Serbia 2nd 2.23 m
2010 Commonwealth Games Delhi, India 7th 2.20 m
2012 Olympic Games London, United Kingdom 7th 2.29 m
2013 World Championships Moscow, Russia 25th (q) 2.17 m
2014 World Indoor Championships Sopot, Poland 8th 2.25 m
Commonwealth Games Glasgow, United Kingdom 3rd 2.25 m
2015 Pan American Games Toronto, Ontario, Canada 2nd 2.31 m
World Championships Beijing, China 18th (q) 2.26 m
2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 18th (q) 2.26 m
2017 World Championships London, United Kingdom 18th (q) 2.26 m
2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Australia 6th 2.24 m
NACAC Championships Toronto, Canada 2nd 2.28 m
2019 Pan American Games Lima, Peru 2nd 2.28 m
World Championships Doha, Qatar 7th 2.30 m
2020 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 14th (q) 2.25 m

References

  1. ^ "Michael Mason profile". IAAF. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  2. ^ Mike Mason. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2012-05-03.
  3. ^ Results. 2009 Summer Universiade. Retrieved on 2012-05-03.
  4. ^ 2010 Commonwealth Games - Athletics Archived 2010-10-10 at the Wayback Machine. CWGDelhi2010. Retrieved on 2012-05-03.
  5. ^ Robinson, Javier Clavelo (2012-05-02). Merritt 44.73 world lead, Robles opens with 13.19 in Guadeloupe. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-05-03.
  6. ^ "Django Lovett hits Olympic standard in high jump, denying Mason 6th Canadian title". CBC Sports. 27 June 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  7. ^ Dichter, Myles (29 July 2021). "Canada's Melissa Bishop-Nriagu knocked out early in women's 800m heats". CBC Sports. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  8. ^ "Canadian Olympians, Paralympians, Coaches and Builders Receive Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medals". Official Canadian Olympic Team Website | Team Canada | 2016 Olympic Games. 25 January 2013. Archived from the original on 30 May 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2017.