It’s been a busy seven days in athletics for Lions members with athletes competing across six countries and putting up a number of phenomenal performances as the outdoor season swings into gear.
At the Down The Stretch Track Festival at George Mason Stadium in Fairfax, Virginia last Friday, André Alie-Lamarche delivered a stellar performance in the men’s mile. Finishing with a time of 4:01.17, Alie-Lamarche brought the crowd to their feet as he pushed the pace over the final 400 metres. André’s result marks the eighth fastest mile in Club history.
Simultaneously, at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix held at Drake Stadium, Kevin Robertson showcased his prowess in the men’s 3000-metre steeplechase. With a time of 8:36.92, Robertson recorded the second fastest performance of his career as he rounds in to form ahead of next month’s Olympic Trials in Montreal.
Back on home soil, a small group competed at the SLS Coupe Excellence #1 held at Piste Ben Leduc in St. Laurent last Saturday – capturing two gold and a silver. Rosemary Holmes and Quinn Lyness swept the women’s and men’s 400 metre hurdles respectively. Holmes took top spot in a time of 1:04.57 while Lyness crossed the line in 56.55 seconds.
Taking silver in the women’s 200 metres was Victoria McIntyre. The 28-year-old sprinter finished in a seasonal best time of 24.76 seconds.
Rounding out the crew in Quebec, Luca Nicoletti posted a seasonal best time of 11.17 seconds for 100 metres and finished ninth at 200 metres in 22.86 seconds.
Stephen Evans ended last weekend with a seasonal best effort in Lucca, ITA. Competing at the Lucca International Meeting, Evans placed fifth over 800 metres in a time of 1 minute and 47.65 seconds. His effort in Italy currently ranks as the fourth fastest performance in Canada this season. The 27-year-old followed Sunday’s performance with another 1:47 run on Wednesday in Kladno, CZE.
Rounding out the European contingent, Lauren Gale nearly equalled her Canadian Best performance at 300 metres with a silver medal run of 36.53 seconds at the Trond Mond Games in Bergen, NOR on Wednesday. Gale then followed that up two days later in Lahti, FIN as she took top spot in the 400 metres with a blistering time of 51.37 seconds. Gale’s time in Finland is the fastest in Canada this year and just seven hundredths off her Club record.
For updated Club rankings, please visit https://milesrowat.shinyapps.io/ottl_rankings/