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Kahanic Defends State Title

FRANKFORT — Nick Kahanic is now a two-time Highland Games New York State Champion after defending his title at The Great American Irish Festival this past weekend.

In 2018, the Falconer native was able to take home his first championship despite recovering from both a shoulder injury and reconstruction of his anterior cruciate ligament.

Kahanic was fortunate to enter the 2019 Highland Games with improved health, but over the course of the weekend injuries played a factor once again.

“I’m finally healthy and I felt good enough to give it a shot,” Kahanic said Monday evening. “Last year was the first year they actually had a New York State Championship so it was cool to come back from the surgeries and feel good enough to compete this year.”

Kahanic claimed the first event of the weekend on Friday, earning a win in the braemar stone, which was followed by the hammer events.

“Because the professionals can throw the hammers so far, they moved up those events and changed the order,” Kahanic said. “These are the events that you have to warm up for, because there is a lot of flexibility and timing.”

Highland Games competitors are anchored to the ground with spikes in their boots for hammer throws, which posed some difficulty on the wet terrain in Frankfort.

On his first throw of the heavy hammer, Kahanic’s boot came loose, cracking his ribs on the left side and causing some knee damage as well.

“My second throw I just tried to get one in play and stay in the competition,” Kahanic said, “but that second throw actually put me in second place.”

Injury and all, Kahanic would go on to win the heavy hammer, also beating out friend and fellow competitor Matt Hand in the sheaf toss.

“I lost the next three events,” Kahanic said. “I took second and Matt won all three.”

On the second day of competition, everything would come down to the event where Kahanic holds a world record — the open stone.

After a motivational breakfast with his traveling partner and amateur Highland Games competitor Aaron Lee, Kahanic was truly tested with the championship on the line.

“My world record is 63 feet. I threw 43-7 and then 45-9 on the second throw. Then Matt threw 48-3,” Kahanic said. “When he walked back to me after that throw he just said ‘you’ve got this man.’ I’ve never had another competitor say that to me.”

Cracked ribs and all, Kahanic would will his way to a throw of 48-8, edging his good friend out by 5 inches to retain the title.

“I’ve never had a competition come down to the very last throw,” he said. “It was a lot of fun. I was very lucky to come away with the win.”

With another title in tow, Kahanic will now do his best to heal up in anticipation of putting on another show at his home event, the Jamestown Regional Celtic Festival on Aug. 23-25 at Mayville Lakeside Park.

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