Track star Jackson MacKay breaks U Sports record in his first ever heptathlon

The U20 Canadian record holder in the decathlon competed in his first ever heptathlon this week at the Penn State Invitational, and made a splash.

It didn’t take long for Jackson MacKay to fall in love with the seven-event Heptathlon.

“On day one, not running the 400 (metres), I loved a lot because I don’t love that race very much,” said MacKay, a rookie track and field star at Western University.

The U20 Canadian record holder in the Decathlon competed in his first ever heptathlon this week at the Penn State Invitational.

The indoor event consists of the 60 metre, long jump, shot put, high jump, 60 metre hurdles, pole vault and 1,000 metre.

MacKay scored 5753 points, winning the meet by 595 points. That total score broke the school and U Sports records.

“I came off a big injury in the football season,” said MacKay, who was named OUA football rookie of the year in the fall.

“Honestly just kind of being able to compete again and train throughout the last couple of months have helped a lot. I was so excited to get back out there and kind of do track again and like take a break from football.”

He credits his coaches and teammates with his success, especially the adjustment from junior to senior competition which has higher hurdles (42″ instead of 39″) and heavier shots (7.26 kg instead of 6 kg).

“I think I have a pretty good build,” said MacKay.

“I think football obviously helped a lot with my strength and the training program and strength circuits made the transition a lot smoother. It wasn’t too bad of a change and luckily for me, since I’m so long it was pretty easy transition.”

The victory automatically qualifies him for the U Sports Championships and ranks him number one in Canada by a whopping 346 points.

It’s also the fourth-highest score in Canadian history by a U23 athlete.

He’s excited to try and help his Mustangs win the OUA Track and Field Championships which take place in three weeks at York University from Feb. 20-21, 2026.

“I’m super excited to compete with all my teammates and honestly, I cannot wait for York and to do another hep (heptathlon) if I end up doing it,” said MacKay.

He’s focused on his Mustangs season, but in the back of his mind, the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles is right around the corner.

He believes he could score around 8,000 points right now as a 19-year-old (Olympic Standard is 8,460).

“I’m just going to keep training, keep doing my schoolwork and see where everything goes,” said MacKay of potentially trying to be Olympian.

“2028 would be pretty sick, but obviously decathletes peak later and older. If I’m ready for 2028 that’d be super cool, but 2032 would be a dream. I’m just going to keep striving and pushing for greatness and whatever happens, happens.”