Maxime Cazabon delivered Ottawa’s first gold of the OFSAA Track and Field Championships on Thursday, soaring to victory in the novice boys high jump with a personal best clearance of 1.92 metres. The triumph adds two centimetres to the Canadian indoor U16 champion’s previous best and moves the Garneau standout within striking distance of Olympian Brian Marshall’s club U16 record of 1.97m.
On the track, Daniel Cova continued his strong season, leading all qualifiers in the senior boys 1500 metres with a personal best of 3:51.44. Fellow Lion Saul Taler also secured a place in Friday’s final, finishing just shy of his lifetime best in 3:56.14.
In the junior boys 1500m, Max Gerundin nabbed the 12th and final qualifying spot in a tactical heat, clocking 4:11.50. Alexandra Harris made a strong impression in the novice girls 1500m, slicing five seconds off her best to run 4:47.83 to book a spot in the final. The cross country medallist will look to add more hardware on the track in Friday’s final.
All four Lions entries in the 2000m steeplechase advanced to the final, with Charlie Mortimer and Mikel Fortier moving on in the open boys division, and Grace Streek and Tessa Knight doing the same on the girls’ side.
Streek, a three-time OFSAA medalist heading into the meet, will look to add to her resume in Friday’s final.
In 400m qualifying, junior Ellie McGregor lowered her week old personal best, crossing in 57.14 to win her heat. Declan McGinnity advanced in the novice boys race, and senior Quinn Coughlin moved on comfortably in her division.
The senior boys 400m qualifiers were dominated by the Lions, with three of four advancing to the final. Zachary Jeggo led the charge with a smooth 47.63, the second-fastest time of the day. Stephan Balson followed in 48.05, qualifying fourth overall, while Ange-Mathis Kramo shaved more than half a second off his personal best to advance in fifth at 48.41. Ayoub Shangai narrowly missed joining them, placing ninth in 48.70—a personal best that moves him to No. 5 on the Club’s U18 all-time list.
In field event action, Sadie Gilbert placed sixth in the senior girls shot put with a best of 11.20m. Timeo Atonfo finished ninth in the senior boys triple jump at 13.74m. Roxy Gardiner also placed ninth in the junior girls long jump with a leap of 5.10m, while Noah Hollinger took 10th in the junior boys triple jump at 12.54m.