Gehle returns from 1st World Games abroad

BY CHUCK VANDENBERG

PCC EDITOR

FORT MADISON - Just a day removed from returning from Spain and the Cerebral Palsy World Games, Fort Madison's Caleb Gehle is already thinking - "What's next".

Gehle, in a phone interview with the Pen City Current, was packing for a Wednesday departure for the University of Northern Iowa where he will be pursuing an education degree in the fall.

But now he's catching his breath after jet-setting across the Atlantic Ocean and competing with more than 300 athletes from 24 countries.

The 2018 FMHS graduate was reclassified when he got to Barcelona from a F33 in the United States, to an F34 in international competition.

"Two years ago at junior nationals they have you perform certain tests which classify you according to your disability," he said. "That got me nationally classified, but I was never internationally classified and had to do that over there. They had me perform pretty much the same tests hand-eye coordination. muscle elasticity and that kind of thing. The classifier said I had good symmetry in my arms and they weren't as spastic as they were a couple years ago."

He said the higher the classification, the more able bodied you are and you compete against stronger, more experienced athletes.

The reclassification also resulted in Gehle having to a throw a ball 33% heavier than he had been throwing and reduced his throws by about four feet or just over a meter, which is how international meets are measured.

Caleb's father, Mike said it was kind of a shock, but all things considered it was a good thing.

"This was basically the Olympics but for people with Cerebral Palsy," Mike said.

"It was a big shock. When we talked to the head coach, she said it was a good thing. Even thought he would be behind, because of his age it gives him that much more to work for to prove that's where he belongs."

Mike said in 2020, Caleb will be up for an international reclassification and they could reset him to 33, but they would had to watch and see how he did against the higher level competition.

Gehle finished the 100-meter wheelchair race in 28.43 seconds good for ninth place had his second fastest time every in the 400-meter at 1:47.62 also good for ninth place. He then set personal records in the 200-meter race at 52.45 (9th place) and the discus with a throw of 9.45 meters or 31.01 feet.

He took 7th place in the shot put even with the heavier shot.

Being surrounded by international athletes gave Gehle a chance to talk with other competitors and pick up on some strategy going forward.

"What I learned mostly, is that there is a lot is technique that I need to work on," he said. "Racing and throwing these athletes are a lot more built muscle wise, they are a lot older and more experienced. Hitting the weight room is gonna to be a big part of that improvement".

He said he also learned that he has a tendency to lean back and throw the shot off his neck using his arms. But he's learning that its an incorporation of chest and arm movements that will yield farther throws with the shot put. He also got tips in the racing events.

Fort Madison's Caleb Gehle throws the shot in the Cerebral Palsy World Games last week in San Cugat, Barcelona Spain. Photo courtesy of Mike Gehle.

"In racing we moved my hands. I was starting at 1 if you look at the wheel like a lock and I kept popping my front wheels off the ground. When I moved my hands to 3, then I was able to get quicker and more stable starts.

Caleb said his coach is looking for him to consider longer distance racing because his build allows for him to power longer distances where shorter lankier racers would have an advantage in the shorter sprint races.

"One of my coaches was talking to me about doing some of the longer distance races. I'm not to keen on that, but we were looking at some of the events and maybe I should look at training for the 800 and 1500 races," Caleb said.

Mike said his son his probably built for power and not so much speed.

"He's a lot broader and bigger. With his long arms he would get longer strokes and longer stamina. As big as he his he won't be able to get speed as much as he can power through a race and pass other people.

Next summer, however, the training will go on hold as Gehle has both his patellas surgically repositioned. Gehle said it would probably be two to three months before he can get back in a racing or throwing chair as doctors told him he's looking at a six-week heavy in-patient rehab stint and then an additional six weeks before he would be weight-bearing.

He said the overall experience has left him wanting more in the way of competition and he's willing to compete in whatever classification they put him in.

"The classification kind of shocked me a little bit, but it was such a neat experience meeting so many different people from around the world and to see who they compete. I even got some advice from a paralympian racer from England. I am just so happy I was able to compete over there."

As a freshman at UNI, Caleb is hoping he can grab the attention of the track coach Dave Paulsen and possibly help the team with a paralympic events.

"He does want to talk to coach at UNI to see if he can compete in paralympic events for the school. So when they go to Drake Relays he would be able to compete. A buddy of mine told me that he saw a few racers but didn't know about throwers," Gehle said of the UNI.

With many southeast Iowa runners on the men's Panther's squad including two from Mt. Pleasant, two from Burlington Notre Dame and one from West Burlington, Gehle's hoping he can find a chance to to talk with Paulsen.

"It would be nice to race under the Panthers flag," Gehle said.