A world number one and a Club number two performance. That’s just scratching the surface of what was the busiest weekend of the year so far for Club athletes as the Lions played host to the Ottawa Spring Kick Start.
After a pair of grand prix victories in Dubai and a couple Canadian records in Louisiana, Bianca Borgella made her season’s debut in front of a home crowd Saturday and did not disappoint. The University of Ottawa student set the track a blaze in the heats of the 100 metres, besting her own Canadian T13 record with a time of 12.12 seconds. Borgella’s performance also moved her to the top spot on the World Rankings, leap frogging Brazil’s Rayane Soares Da Silva.
Bianca would better her time in the final, placed second overall with a time of 12.06 seconds. However, the wind gauge registered a reading of 2.6 metres per second – in excess of the allowable limit of 2.0 m/s.
Running the second fastest time in Club history was Kiera Christie-Galloway as she took top spot in the 100 metre hurdles at the Western Athletic Conference Championships on Saturday. The Grand Canyon University student won in a time of 13.01 seconds – completing the conference sweep after taking home gold in the 60 metre hurdles at the indoor championships.
Keira’s previous best of 13.10 seconds had been set almost four years prior to the day in 2019. She is currently ranked 20th amongst NCAA Division I 100 metre hurdlers.
Back in Ottawa, a pair of female jumpers made their first leap into the Club’s top-10 list. Katy Magoffin moved into a three-way tie for fifth on the women’s pole vault list at 3.50 metres. The former Western Mustang athlete was competing in her first competition as a member of the Lions.
Maria Okwechime leapt to eighth on the women’s long jump list with her winning performance of 5.73 metres. Okwechime had registered a best of 5.56 metres last season.
For results from the Ottawa Spring Kick Start, please visit https://ottawalions.com/results/2023-results/2023-ottawa-spring-kick-start/
For updated Club rankings, please visit https://milesrowat.shinyapps.io/ottl_rankings/