Lions athletes enjoyed a historic weekend, achieving numerous outstanding performances on both sides of the border. From Massachusetts to Montreal, and even at home in Ottawa, records fell and personal bests were shattered.
At the Harvard Invitational in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Sydney Smith sprinted to an impressive 1:13.16 finish in the 500m race. She crossed the line just a hair’s breadth behind former three-time All-American Bianca Stubler. Smith’s time is the second fastest in club history, trailing only Club record holder Esther Akinsulie.
Liam Davis made a splash at the York Open. Competing in only his fourth-ever weight throw competition, the University of Guelph rookie launched the 35 pound ball an impressive 17.64 metres. This remarkable throw not only secured the third-best mark in club history but also surpassed the USports standard of 17.05 metres, positioning him as a serious national contender.
Meanwhile, in Montreal, at the Ontario vs Quebec U16 Duel Meet at Complexe Sportif Claude Robillard, Maxime Cazabon was a double-winner. He dominated the competition with victories in both the high jump (1.88m) and the 60m sprint (7.32s) moving to second on the Club’s U16 all-time list in both events. Cazabon’s high jump performance was just nine centimetres shy of Olympian Brian Marshall’s club U16 record, while his lightning-fast 60m sprint moved him into second place on the club’s all-time list, surpassing even two-time Olympian Oluwasegun Makinde.
The record-setting spree continued at the Louis-Riel Dome in Ottawa, where the Lions hosted their first-ever Field Events and Relays Meet. Jessica Gyamfi etched her name in the University of Ottawa record books, setting two new marks. She first broke the weight throw record with a 15.98 metres effort, edging past Ty Coulter’s 2018 mark. Gyamfi then shattered the shot put record with a throw of 13.22 metres, surpassing Christina Hertner’s 2018 distance.
Carleton University’s Brianna Asiamah also rewrote her school’s shot put record for the third time. Her Sunday throw landed at 13.36 metres, adding five centimetres to her previous best.
The outstanding performances of both Asiamah and Gyamfi earned them automatic berths to the USports Championships, capping off a truly historic weekend for the Lions.
The athletes will be back in action this weekend, with the Lions travelling to Boston for a series of competitions at Boston College, Harvard, and Boston University.