Zachary Jeggo delivered a championship performance for the ages Tuesday night at The Podium in Spokane, WA.
The Ottawa Lions standout captured the 400 metres title at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, clocking a seasonal-best 46.72 seconds to win by nearly half a second in a loaded final.
The time shattered the previous meet record of 47.61 set in 2017 by Simon Fraser’s Vladislav Tsygankov — a mark that had stood for eight years. In fact, Jeggo was one of three athletes in the race to dip under the former standard.
However, the bigger milestone came at the national level.
Pending ratification, the performance establishes a new Canadian U20 indoor record, eclipsing the previous mark of 47.02 set in 2013 by World Championship finalist Brandon McBride. It also makes Jeggo the first Ottawa Lions athlete in club history to break 47 seconds indoors over 400 metres.
For Jeggo, the record had quietly become a target in recent weeks.
“It’s pretty unreal,” he said via text message on Wednesday. “I wasn’t really aware of the record til a couple weeks ago after I saw a post with my name at second all time. So I knew I had to try and beat it. Really happy to get that weight off my shoulders too.”
The mark currently ranks fifth in NCAA Division II this season and places the first-year criminology student eighth in the world among U20 athletes indoors.
Male Performance of the Meet
Jeggo’s effort did not go unnoticed. He was awarded Male Performance of the Meet honours following the championship.
Competing in his first GNAC final as a freshman, he controlled the race from the gun and closed decisively to secure his first conference title.
“Feels awesome,” said the Louis-Riel graduate of winning as a freshman. “Glad to get the job done early and set the tone for the rest of the season. I’m gonna try and keep the momentum going for nationals.”
Relay Gold and a Meet Record
He was not finished.
The championship concluded with Jeggo anchoring Simon Fraser’s 4×400-metre relay to conference gold, splitting a blistering 46.4 on the final leg as the Red Leafs stormed to a meet-record 3:11.70.
It was a fitting end to a dominant championship from the freshman and reinforced his ability to deliver on demand in a championship setting.
Adjusting to University Competition
Now in his first year studying criminology, Jeggo says the biggest adjustment to NCAA life has come away from the track.
“I’d say the biggest challenge is balancing your schedule with training, school and life in general. But other than that, university life has been nothing but great. I have great friends out here, I have a wonderful team that I’m thankful to be a part of as well.”
Nationals in Sight
With his national ranking comfortably inside the qualification range, Jeggo now turns his focus toward the NCAA Division II Championships.
“I just want to enjoy the moment and have fun. Obviously I’m going there to win but there will be some hard competition which will help and push me. I also just want to represent the only Canadian NCAA school to the best of my ability.”
Eyes on the International Stage
Beyond the collegiate season, the 18-year-old has his sights set on international competition this summer.
“I plan to keep working hard with all my coaches and teammates in order to get better,” Jeggo wrote. “I wish to represent Team Canada this year whether it be at Commonwealth or U20 worlds, but the road to either of those events is going to be difficult with a strong Canadian field also shooting for those. As always I’ll try my best and work as hard as possible.”
If his championship performance in Spokane is any indication, Jeggo has firmly placed himself in that national conversation – and rewritten a piece of Canadian junior sprint history in the process.