(Ottawa, Canada---22 June 2022) Zach Jeggo competing in Ottawa Summer Twilight Meet 5 or the 2022 track and field season. Copyright 2022 Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images

Jeggo and Coughlin bring home hardware from Ontario Summer Games

by linkinbioProvincial

The Ontario Summer Games, an annual multi-sport event for athletes between the ages of 12 and 18, kicked off last Thursday in Mississauga. The Lions were represented in the athletics competition by three athletes – Quinn Coughlin, Zachary Jeggo, and Matteo Padoin-Castillo. Combined the three athletes captured four individual medals including one gold. 

Jeggo had a near perfect meet as he set new lifetime bests in all three of the events he competed in. This included a gold medal performance in the 200 metre hurdles where Jegoo broke Luca Nicolletti’s U16 Club record with his time of 26.34 seconds. The Louis-Riel student picked up a second medal, a bronze, in the U16 300 metres with his time of 37.57 seconds. 

Jeggo’s final best came in the 200 metre heats where he posted a time of 23.74 seconds. He would finish seventh in the final in 23.91.

The other two medals came from Quinn Coughlin who took home a pair of bronze medals. The first came in the 300 metre event for Coughlin where she trimmed nearly half a second off her previous best with a 41.98 second clocking. Another personal best brought home the second medal as the Opeongo High School student dipped under 2:18 for the first time at 800 metres, to finish in two minutes and 17.92 seconds. 

For Matteo, his results found him just off the podium as he took fourth in the U16 1500 metre steeplechase. His time of 4:58.08 was about a second and a half back of bronze. Padoin-Castillo also part in his first racewalk, finishing ninth in the 1500 metre event. 

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Cassidy to carry flag at Commonwealth opening cermonies

by Internationallinkinbio

Commonwealth Sport Canada proudly announced Lions wheelchair racer Joshua Cassidy will be one of two athletes that will help usher the Canadian flag into Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on July 27 during the opening ceremonies of the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Cassidy, a bronze medalist at the 2010 Games, will be joined in the honour by Olympic and Commonwealth weightlifting champion Maude Charron. 

“This is going take some time to sink in, but this opportunity is something that when you’re starting out as an athlete, to be a flag bearer for a games is always recognized as such a prestigious thing,” said Cassidy upon learning that he had been chosen. “What an honour and what a huge surprise. Thank you so much.”

Cassidy becomes just the second Lion to have the honour of being flag bearer for Canada at the Commonwealth Games. Hammer thrower Sultana Frizell carried the Canadian flag in the closing ceremonies of the 2014 Games in Glasgow.

(Langley, British Columbia ---25 June 2022) Lauren Gale competing on day four of the Canadian Track and Field Championships at McLeod Athletic Park. Photograph 2022 Copyright Miles Ryan Rowat / Mundo Sport Images

Gale finishes 26th in 200m; turns eye to 4×4 at World Championships

by Internationallinkinbio

It’s been a busy year for Lauren Gale. Since opening her season on the 15th of January, the 22-year-old had raced no less than 33 times before arriving here in Eugene for the World Championships. Two races in and she remains hungry for the next one. 

Gale was in tough Monday night in her heat of the 200 metres. Lined up to the outside of defending bronze medalist Mujinga Kambundji and world number two Abby Steiner, the Club record holder was fourth across the line in 23.08 seconds. Gale’s performance fell just short of qualifying on time as she finished 26th overall in the field of 44. 

“I’m very happy with my time considering I’ve been running for a while,” explained Gale following her race. “I’m happy to come fourth in my race behind such great competitors.”

Now the focus for Gale shifts to Canada’s 4×400 metre relay team, which begins their quest for a spot on the podium Saturday night. 

The Canadian women, including Gale as an alternate, finished an agonizing fourth last year in Tokyo – the second Olympics in a row. Heading into the weekend, the goal is simple, “I’m hoping Canada medals,” said Gale. 

“I think we’re got the talent to do so. I think all three other girls are very competitive and I think they are ready. 

The 4×400 metre heats go Saturday night at 8:10pm eastern and can be streamed live on CBC.ca

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Gale places 29th in World Championship 400m

by Internationallinkinbio

“It feels awesome.” That’s how sprinter Lauren Gale described the experience of running in her first World Athletics Championship. The 22-year-old sprinter placed fifth in her heat of the 400 metres in a time of 52.46 second, missing out on one of the three automatic qualifying spots. 

“I haven’t run at Oregon on this track yet, so to break it in at a World Championship is just an amazing feeling,” explained Gale following her heat.  The recent Colorado State University graduate had expected to get her first taste of the Hayward magic last month at the NCAA Championships, but her collegiate season was cut short by a case of COVID which forced her to withdraw from the West Regional Preliminaries. 

Gale pushed the pace for the first 200, splitting 24.5 at the halfway mark and finding herself in a tight battle for second place. However, as the field entered the home stretch, the field had caught up and eventually passed her as she shifted back to fifth.

There is still more to come from Gale this championship as she lines in heat five of the 200 metre preliminaries tonight at 9:28pm eastern. You can catch all the action live on CBC.

(Langley, British Columbia ---25 June 2022) Tommy Nedow competing on day four of the Canadian Track and Field Championships at McLeod Athletic Park. Photograph 2022 Copyright Miles Ryan Rowat / Mundo Sport Images

Lions finish Canada Games Trials with strong results

by linkinbioProvincial

Lions athletes wrapped up the two day Canada Games Trials in Toronto on Sunday with strong performances that put them in line for a place on Team Ontario. Leading the way were thrower Tommy Nedow, sprint hurdler David Adeleye, and decathlete Leo Wallner.

Coming off a silver medal at the Canadian Championships, Tommy Nedow was the favourite in the discus and he did not disappoint. The 24-year-old won the competition with his opening round throw of 50.71 metres, outdistancing second place by 77 centimetres. With his victory, Nedow guaranteed himself a spot on the provincial team that will compete this August in St. Catherines. 

Also ensuring his spot in St. Catherines was David Adeleye as the University of Toronto student captured the gold medal in the 110 metre hurdles. Adeleye ran his way to a personal best time of 14.31 seconds in the hurdles final, shaving three hundredths off his previous best set at the recent Canadian Championships.

Leo Wallner will join Adeleye and Nedow at the Canada games by virtue of his victory in the decathlon. The recent high school graduate showed up and showed out during the two day event, amassing a personal best 5689 points with the senior heights and implements. Wallner’s second day got off to a great start as he was the fastest in the 110 metre hurdles, putting down a personal best of 15.54 seconds over the 42” barriers. While he struggled in the throws, Wallner posted a conservative mark in the 1500 metres to secure his nearly 200 point victory. 

Fellow combined event athlete Audrey Goddard finished up the two day heptathlon with solid marks in the long jump, javelin, and 800 metres as she amassed a wind aided total of 4658 points. The 18-year-old’s marks on day two were nearly identical to those reached the week before at the Canadian Championships, as Goddard placed second to Dallyssa Huggins – six years her senior. 

While her second place finish in the heptathlon will leave Goddard off the athletics team at the Canada Summer Games, she still has a chance to make Team Ontario after recently being shortlisted for the volleyball team. She’ll find out if she makes the team later this month. 

For full results from the Canada Games Trials, please visit our results page.

(Langley, British Columbia ---23 June 2022) Doyin Ogunremi competing on day two of the Canadian Track and Field Championships at McLeod Athletic Park. Photograph 2022 Copyright Miles Ryan Rowat / Mundo Sport Images ******* EDITORIAL USE ONLY ******* ******* EDITORIAL USE ONLY ******* ******* EDITORIAL USE ONLY *******

Evans nears record; Lions earn spots for Canada Summer Games

by InternationallinkinbioProvincial

While it may be Canada Day weekend here in Ottawa, middle distance runner Stephen Evans decided to do some celebrating at the Stars and Stripes Classic in Marietta, GA Saturday night. The number two 800 metre runner in Club history inched a little closer to the record book at the American Track League stop as he placed sixth in a time of one minute and 47.30 seconds. 

Evans, who had a disappointing Canadian Championship last weekend where he failed to make the final, has made great strides in his running this season – knocking 98 hundredths of a second off his personal best. His time from Saturday night is six hundredths behind one of the longest standing records in the Club – Richard Brant’s mark of 1:47.24 from 1987. 

Closer to home, the Canada Summer Games Trials are underway at the Toronto Track and Field Centre at York University. Day one of action saw a few Lions book their spot on Team Ontario in addition to another pair of Canadian Records for Bianca Borgella. 

By virtue of victories in their respective events, David Moulongou and Doyin Ogunremi secured their spots on Team Ontario for the Canada Summer Games set for the Niagara Region in August. 

Moulongou had the race of his life in the opening event of the day, as he was first across the line in the 400 metre hurdles to win in 54.78 seconds. The University of Ottawa student trimmed more than a quarter of a second off his previous best set last week at the Canadian U20 Championships as he narrowly edged out teammate Luca Nicoletti who was second in 54.83 seconds. 

You would think that it would be hard to follow up on a Canadian Championship performance that included a personal best and an even speedier lead off leg for the Lions’ Canadian Club Record setting 4×400 metre relay, but Doyin Ogunremi said “Just watch me “ at the Ontario Trials event. The University of Ottawa slashed nearly a second and a half off her week old best as she took home top spot in the 400 metres with a time of 55.18 seconds. 

The 20-year-old Ogunremi has now cut a full two seconds off her 400 metre best this season and moves to eighth on the Club’s all-time U23 list. 

Finally, Bianca Borgella re-wrote a couple of week old Canadian T13 records with new lifetime bests at 100 and 400 metres Saturday. The visually impaired athlete lowered her mark in the 100 metres to 12.37 from the Canadian Championship winning run of 12.43 last week. As well, Borgella put up a 1:00.84 second clocking for 400 metres that cuts 1.35 seconds off her other week old record.

Also wrapping day one, Audrey Goddard is on a personal best pace in her second heptathlon in as many weeks. She sits in second place with 2964 points. As well, Leo Wallner is having the decathlon of his life, finishing first or second in four of the five events on day one and holding the overnight lead at 3275 points. 

For live results, visit: https://athleticsontario.ca/statistics/results/live/2022/0702-team-o-trials/index.htm

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President’s Corner – June 2022

by adminlinkinbio

Hi everyone!

It’s time for the next edition of our President’s Corner. As always, the goal of our President’s Corner is to give you a glimpse of what’s happening within the Club and behind the scenes, to inform you about what our Board of Directors is working on, and share what we discuss at our monthly meetings.

Athlete Success

At the June meeting of the Board of Directors, our Executive Director and Head Coach Richard Johnston highlighted the success of our high school athletes at OFSAA this year. There were some stellar performances and personal bests, and athletes captured 14 medals, including 4 gold!

Our athletes carried their success into the Ontario Championships in Toronto, capturing over two dozen medals across the U20 and open categories. Congratulations to all! We look forward to seeing their successes continue at the Canadian Track & Field Championships on June 22-26 in Langley, B.C.

Don’t forget that our Twilight meets are happening this summer! We look forward to seeing our athletes and their fans at our Twilight meets this summer, every Wednesday this summer until August 10th!

Safe Sport

As you might have read in our April President’s Corner, in May our President, Jenn Dumoulin, participated as a panelist at the Sport for Life Summit (Ottawa Summit). The focus of the panel, and really an entire day of the conference, was Safe Sport. Jenn provided a summary of her participation and reflected on the Summit during the Board meeting:

  • The first thing that we need to think about when we talk about Safe Sport is… what exactly do we mean by “Safe Sport”? The definition of Safe Sport is evolving as our understanding of safety in sport deepens. Until recently, for example, it may not have included or emphasized PPE, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, that became really important.
  • When is sport safe? At its most basic level, sport is safe when it is free from BAHD behaviours (Bullying, Abuse, Harassment, and Discrimination). But this is not enough to ensure safety in sport. Sport is safe when it takes place in properly maintained facilities, using the proper equipment and when it is overseen by trained coaches and officials. Safety is sport is also a social and economic issue; sport should be inclusive and welcoming to athletes, coaches and volunteers from diverse backgrounds.
  • There is no single solution to achieve safety in sport and it cannot be achieved by one person alone. We all have a responsibility to make sport safer.

Putting Lessons Learned into Action

Our Club and Board are committed to encouraging a supportive sport environment and respectful workplace that is free of all forms of harassment, abuse and sexual misconduct. This is articulated in our Vision, Mission, and Values and our Statement of Expectations.

We would like to acknowledge media coverage in May of a historical complaint by a former Ottawa Lions’ athlete against their former coach. We understand that this can be very difficult for our members and alumni. Should they be needed, a list of local mental health resources can be found on our website.

We firmly believe in the work that we are doing as a Club and as a Board to ensure that our athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and all of our staff have a positive sport experience. We’ve come a long way together, although, of course, there is more work to do.

A few initiatives that we’re working on at the moment include:

That’s it for this month! Please reach out to share your ideas or let us know if you are interested in helping out with the Club.

Jennifer Dumoulin

President, Board of Directors

Ottawa Lions Track & Field Club

president@ottawalions.com

(prepared jointly with Zeena Rashid, Secretary, Ottawa Lions Board of Directors)

(Langley, British Columbia ---26 June 2022) (l-r) Helena Jovic, Mary Ollier, Alexandra Telford, and Sydney Smith competing on day five of the Canadian Track and Field Championships at McLeod Athletic Park. Photograph 2022 Copyright Miles Ryan Rowat / Mundo Sport Images

Lions add 10 medals on final day of Canadian Championship

by linkinbioNational

At any championship over the past twenty years there has always been one thing the Ottawa Lions could be known for – relay running. As the 2022 Canadian Championships wrapped up Sunday that was on full display with the Lions adding nine medals in the relays – highlighted by a new Canadian Club Record.

The quartet of Doyin Ogunremi, Sydney Smith, Alexandra Telford, and Lauren Gale had their eyes set on the Club record of 3:44.58 as they took to the start line, but were rewarded with an even bigger prize. The four women combined to move the baton around the McLeod Athletic Park oval four times in a blistering 3:35.46 to break the previous Canadian Club Record of 3:40.08 set by the former Speed River Track Club in 2019.  

Doyin Ogunremi started strong with a 55.7 second opening leg, going even faster than her two day old personal best in the event. Each progressive leg got even faster with Smith dropping a 53.9 second leg, followed by Telford’s 53.2 penultimate leg. 

By the time Telford had handed the baton off to Gale for the anchor run, she had amassed a significant 30 metre lead. Running solo, Gale still put the hammer down, closing in 52.0 seconds to win by a near 100 metre margin.

The senior men’s 4×400 metre team of Leewinchell Jean, Stephen Evans, Saj Alhaddad, and Bertwin Ben-Smith also laid down an impressive time of their own. The quartet took bronze in a time of 3:12.92 – the third fastest time in Club history. 

Following two Canadian record performances in the T13 100 and 400 metres, Bianca Borgella anchored the U20 4×100 metre team to her third gold of the Championship. The team of Emma Martins, Katie Manor, Emily Brennan, and Borgella won in 48.25 seconds.

The final individual medal of the championship went to Luca Nicoletti in the U20 400 metre hurdles. The recent Paul-Desmarais graduate ran a personal best time of 53.94 seconds in the final to grab a bronze. Nicoletti’s time was the ninth fastest by a junior in Club history. 

Other relay medals from the final day of competition were as follows:

U20 Women’s 4×400 metre relay – Bronze (Emily Brennan, Elizabeth Vroom, Amelia Van Brabant, Louise Stonham)

Open Women’s 4×100 metre relay – Silver (Coralie Ostertag, Brooklyn McCormick, Sia Mahajan, Emma Dobson-Takoff)

U20 Men’s 4×100 metre relay – Silver (Seiyf Gebara, Luca Nicoletti, David Moulongou, Zachary Sikka)

U20 Men’s 4×400 metre relay – Bronze (David Moulongou, Seiyf Gebara, Zachary Sikka, Luca Nicoletti)

Open Men 4×100 metre relay – Bronze (Zach Bryant, Bertwin Ben-Smith, Michael Pinnock, David Adeleye)

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Lions add three more medals on day three of Canadian Championships

by linkinbioNational

With temperatures in Langley soaring above 30 degrees centigrade in the first heat wave of the BC summer, the Ottawa Lions raised their game to meet the scorching temperatures on the track. The Lions amassed three more medals on day three of competition at the Canadian Track and Field Championships to bring their total to nine. 

When Bianca Borgella started her track career in earnest, a little more than a year ago, the personal bests and Canadian records came fast and furious for the T13 visually impaired athlete. It seemed almost as though she would run a new record every week in 100 metres at one point. Then the records stopped, but that all changed Saturday night at the Canadian Track and Field Championships. 

Powered by a quicker than normal start, Borgella ran away from a field that included Paralympic bronze medalist Marissa Papaconstantinou and burst through the finish line in a time of 12.43 seconds. The performance trimmed a full tenth of a second off her previous best, and Canadian T13 record, set last August at the final Twilight Meet of the season. 

The victory moved Borgella’s record to a perfect 2-0 at the Championship after she had won the ambulatory 400 metres the night before – also in a T13 Canadian Record time. 

For Lauren Gale, she learned a valuable lesson Saturday night in the 400 metre final – better to trip out of the blocks than at the end of the race. Despite a stumble out of the blocks, the Olympian regained her stride and sprinted her way to a silver medal in a time of 51.61 seconds. 

“It’s close to a personal best,” Gale noted positively about her race. “I’m happy to come second at Canadian nationals. I’m excited.”

The next stop for the 22-year-old will be the start line in Eugene, OR for the World Championships, which begin July 15. Gale, who bettered the World Athletics standard, is expected to be formally announced as a member of Team Canada this coming week. 

Out in the field, Tommy Nedow found the perfect time to launch the best throw of his season. The Brockville native whirled the two kilogram platter out to 53.07 metres on his third throw to secure the silver medal. 

Saturday’s silver medal was Nedow’s second medal in the senior discus competition, having captured the bronze three years ago in Montreal. 

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Vroom and Stonham lead medal haul on day two of Canadian Championships

by linkinbioNational

On the second day of the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Langley, BC the Lions added five medals to their haul, including the first two golds.

The day ended with bang as the duo of Elizabeth Vroom and Louise Stonham ran their way to the top two spots on the medal podium. Vroom continued her unbeaten streak in the steeplechase this year, taking the 3000 metre race in a personal best time of 10:40.33 – making her the 16th fastest Canadian U20 runner in history. 

Stonham wasn’t far behind her teammate, as she dipped under 11 minutes for the first time, crossing the line in 10:58.66 for silver.

The ladies made it three straight Canadian U20 Championships where the Lions placed two runners on a steeplechase podium. Kevin Robertson and Will Cox went 1-3 at the 2019 Championships, while Jonathan Rioux and Andre Alie-Lamarche placed 2-3 in 2018. 

Bianca Borgella nabbed the other gold medal on day two, as she dominated the field in the para ambulatory 400 metres. The 19-year-old Borgella took off like a bolt of lightning out of the blocks, blowing past the competition to win in a time of 1:02.19. The performance bettered her own Canadian T13 record by more than a second and a half.

“Tired. Lactic,” were the first two words out of Audrey Goodard’s mouth following the final event of the two day U20 heptathlon. After a personal best in the event, 2:34.05, Goddard had amassed 4480 points to share the silver with London Western’s Robin Selkirk. 

The seven event competition was a learning experience for the future Western University student. “I have a lot more left than I think,” explained Goddard. “When I think that I don’t, I can push.”

Goddard’s medal was the first for a U20 heptathlete from the Lions since Olivia Leon’s silver in 2016. Her point total was also the third highest for a U20 athlete in Club history. 

Picking up his second medal of the championship was Josh Cassidy as he won a bronze in the para wheelchair 1500 metres. The Paralympian, who finished in a time of 3:26.62, will now refocus his efforts to the marathon, which he will compete in at the Commonwealth Games in August before taking on some fall marathon races.