OTTAWA, Ont. — Rain and wind swept through Terry Fox Athletic Facility again on day three of the Canadian Track and Field Championships Presented by Bell, but the conditions did little to slow the Ottawa Lions, who came away with four medals on the strength of a podium-heavy night in the 400m finals.
Zachary Jeggo set the tone on Friday’s evening session as he upgraded his bronze from a year ago to gold in a time of 47.56 seconds. The Simon Fraser University student has had a year to write home about, setting a Canadian U20 record indoors at 400m, being named to the World Relay Championships team and now national champion. With his win Friday night, Jeggo will now represent Canada at the upcoming World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, later this summer.
Joining Jeggo on the podium was teammate Ange-Mathis Kramo who claimed bronze in 47.80 seconds. Ayoub Shangai placed fourth in 48.68 seconds to produce one of the strongest finishes by any Club at the Championship.
Less than 10 minutes later it was Lauren Gale’s turn to take her spot on top of the podium. The 26-year-old has twice been a runner up at the Canadian Championships, but in front of a very partisan home crowd, the two-time Olympian claimed victory over Edmonton’s Diana Proctor with a time of 51.94 seconds. Similar to Jeggo, Gale’s victory assures her ticket to Glasgow later this summer for the Commonwealth Games.
Rounding out the evening was Mallea McMullin, who added a bronze medal in the U20 women’s javelin with a best throw of 38.51m. For the 16-year-old, a former Canadian U16 champion, this is her first U20 medal.
In semi-final action on the track, Maëliss Trapeau (800m) and David Moulongou (400m Hurdles) both advanced to their respective finals on Saturday, while Augustine Uche qualified for the U20 men’s 110m hurdle semifinal. In the field, a trio of triple jumpers moved on to Saturday’s final with Elizabeth Moreland, Sarah Ouangre, and Ella-Grace Gilbert all advancing.