SCARBOROUGH, Maine — James “Chico” Hernandez of Washburn turned in a strong outing at the Maine State Senior Track and Field Championships held recently at Scarborough High School.
Hernandez, who serves as an assistant track and field coach at Caribou High School, in addition to being the school’s varsity wrestling coach competed in six events which drew in competitors from Minnesota, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode, Island, Texas, New York, Connecticut, Kentucky, Florida and Maine.
The 65-year-old placed in his age division first in the shot put, second in the 100-meter dash, second in the long jump, third in discus, third in the 50-meter dash and fourth in the javelin throw.
“This is my sixth time I have competed in these Maine Track and Field Games and my shot put performance was my personal best as I threw 32-feet, 6-inches for the championship,” Hernandez said. “I beat my personal record of 31-10 inches when I finished second in 2017.”
Hernandez is more renowned for his wrestling skills, with his most recent performance was last November winning a bronze medal at the World Masters Sambo Wrestling Championships in Casablanca, Morocco.
He has been enshrined in the AAU National Wrestling Hall of Fame, The Maine Sports Hall of Fame, The University of Maine Athletic Hall of Fame. He was also featured on the box of Wheaties Energy Crunch and was listed in Sports Illustrated Magazine as one of “The Faces in the Crowd.”
