The 39-year-old will be one of the strongest local hopes at the Oceania Masters Athletics Championships, beginning at the Caledonian Ground today and running until next Saturday.
One of many Otago athletes making the most of the meeting at their doorstep, Scholten looks likely to be among the contenders in the men’s 30-49 age-group throwing events.
With a throw of 40.12m, the Taieri athlete holds the national record for the men’s 30+ hammer throw.
Alongside that, he owns the majority of the Otago throwing records in the 30+ and 35+ age-grades.
It was not always that way though, on his return to the sport after having competed as a youngster.
His former — and current — coach, Raylene Bates, saw him at the track one day and convinced him to get back into it.
While he said he was now performing better than he did when he was younger, it took three or four years to get back into it.
"A lot of hard work, a lot of training in the gym and a lot of practice," he said.
"I had to work my butt off to get to where I am now.
"I thought it would be easy. I thought I’d come back and it would just be no problem at all.
"But the reality was the first day I picked up a hammer and swung it around my head, I thought ‘how am I going to throw this thing?’
"I didn’t even know how I was going to get it out the cage let alone stand up. I thought I was going to fall over; it was really difficult."
But improve he did and he has since travelled to plenty of meetings and recorded some impressive throws.
Last year he competed at the World Masters Games in Perth, where he won bronze in both the hammer throw and throws pentathlon, his best two events.
He had never been to this meeting though and said having it at home was a huge bonus for all the Otago athletes.
"It’s just awesome, awesome for Dunedin that they’re actually having it here.
"It’s a big commitment for all the officials and stuff like that. It’s over a whole week and people are giving up their holidays to help run it.
"So it’s a huge commitment from all the Otago people."
A mechanic, he recently bought his own automotive repair business, Carter Car Services.
That had proven busy and he would try to work his events around that, although would take Friday off to compete in the throws pentathlon.
Alongside that pentathlon and the hammer, he would also compete in the shot put, discus, javelin and heavy weight throw.
The event runs every day this week, with 361 athletes from 12 different countries in action.Of those 224 are from New Zealand and 117 from Australia, while the United States, the Czech Republic, Spain, India and Great Britain also have entrants.
At a glance
Where: Caledonian Ground
When: Today until January 27, 8am-4pm
