(North York, Canada---14 July 2023) Lauren Gale of Ottawa Lions T.F.C. competing on day one of the Ontario U20/Open Track and Field Championships at the Toronto Track and Field Centre. Copyright 2023 Miles Ryan Rowat/ Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Bell Olympic and Paralympic Trials: Lions Athletes Aim for National Glory and Team Canada Spots

by linkinbioNational

Four years after it was originally scheduled, Montreal will finally host the Olympic and Paralympic Trials this weekend at the Centre Sportif Claude Robillard. Over 80 Lions athletes will be in action, competing for national glory in the U20, Open, and Para categories. For a select few, this event also serves as a crucial step towards earning a spot on Team Canada and competing later this summer in Paris.

Lions athletes are aiming to surpass their impressive haul of 10 medals from last year’s competition in Langley.

Elite Contenders

Among the favorites for medals and spots in Paris are sprinters Lauren Gale and Bianca Borgella. Both women enter the meet as the top seed in their principal events.

Lauren Gale is the top seed in the women’s 400 metres after setting a Club record of 50.47 seconds at the Royal City Inferno. Her time is well below the Olympic standard, and a victory will secure her place on her second Olympic team. Gale will also compete in the 200 metres, where she is ranked second with a time of 22.85 seconds.

Bianca Borgella is aiming to make her first Paralympic Team in the Para Ambulatory 100 metres. Borgella is currently the top-ranked T13 100-metre sprinter in the world, with a Canadian record of 11.91 seconds set last month in London. With no T13 200 metres event in Paris, Borgella will also contest the Open 200 metres alongside Gale.

Mid-Distance and Hurdles

Kevin Robertson and Stephen Evans, fresh off setting Club records, will be looking to improve upon their bronze medal performances from last year. Robertson recently ran the fastest 2000 metres by a Canadian in 34 years and enters the 3000 metres as the fifth seed with a time of 8:33.88. Evans, who set a Club record of 2:19.77 for 1000 metres, will leverage his powerful finishing kick in the 800 metres, aiming for a podium finish.

In the men’s 110-metre hurdles, all eyes will be on defending Olympic decathlon champion Damian Warner. However, Lions fans will be closely watching David Adeleye, who aims to make the national podium for a second consecutive year. Adeleye, this year’s USports 60-metre hurdles runner-up, has a personal best of 13.84 seconds and is ranked third behind Warner and last year’s champion, Craig Thorne.

Promising Juniors

The junior ranks showcase a bright future, with several athletes poised for podium finishes this weekend.

Jorai Oppong-Nketiah, the youngest Lion at 16, missed the high school season due to a school transfer but set a new Canadian U18 record of 11.51 seconds last month in London. As the defending Canadian U16 champion, she tops the rankings heading into this weekend’s championship.

In the U20 men’s 400 metres, Zachary Jeggo, Stephan Balson, and William Sanders all surpassed the qualification standard. Jeggo leads with the second fastest performance in the nation (47.82), followed by Balson (48.27) and Sanders (48.64). Jeggo will also compete in the 400-metre hurdles, where he is the second fastest performer with a personal best of 52.97 seconds.

Quinn Coughlin is the top-ranked athlete in the U20 women’s 400-metre hurdles. After a fourth-place finish last year, she recently improved her lifetime best to 1:00.30 and aims to make the podium this weekend.

In the men’s 1500 metres, Nicolas Belan will battle for a top-two finish to secure his spot on the Canadian team for this year’s World U20 Championships. Belan set a personal best of 3:46.89 earlier this month in Hamilton.

Maddie Seaby, after an outstanding freshman season at the University of Louisville, is a medal contender in the U20 women’s 5000 metres. Her personal best of 16:35.43 ranks her second behind Alberta’s Chloe Turner.

Lastly, heptathlete Kathryn Moreland enters the U20 event ranked second in Canada. The second-year University of Ottawa student set a personal best of 4201 points at the Ottawa Spring Kick Start in May.

For live results from this year’s championship, visit Athletics Canada website. You can also catch all the action on AthleticsCanada.tv (subscription required).

(Montreal, Canada---21 June 2024) Kevin Robertson runs to win the elite 2000m steeplechase at the 2024 Classique d’Athletisme de Montreal. Photograph Copyright 2024 Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Robertson and Evans re-write record book in final Olympic Trials tune up

by linkinbioNational

In a final tune up before this week’s Canadian Olympic Trials, Lions athletes put forward a string of remarkable performances at La Classique d’Athletisme de Montréal last Friday night leaving little doubt they are ready to take on the best the nation has to offer.

Kevin Robertson and Stephen Evans: Record-Breaking Performances

Racing in some off distance events, Kevin Robertson and Stephen Evans made the most of their opportunity to prove fitness and set the track on fire. The pair of defending national bronze medalists each bettered their own Club records  and showed they are primed and ready to roll at the Olympic Trials. 

Kevin Robertson’s race almost didn’t happen. When the Grand Prix event was moved from Centre Sportif Claude Robillard to the Ben Leduc Track in St. Laurent, the 2000 metre steeplechase was originally going to be cancelled, but thanks to some last minute manoeuvres fans were treated to the second fastest performance in Canadian history. 

Running well behind the leaders for nearly the entire race, Robertson bided his time before throwing the hammer down over the final three quarters of a lap. By the time he reached the final water jump, Robertson had closed the gap from 20 to less than 5 metres and quickly ran off to take the lead as he cleared the penultimate hurdle and sprinted for home. Robertson crossed the finish line in an eye-popping 5:29.27, obliterating his previous Club record of 5:47.55. The only faster Canadian is Graeme Fell’s 5:21.97 in 1990.

Stephen Evans became the first Lion to ever eclipse the 2:20 mark for 1000 metres Friday night as he took victory in Montreal in 2:19.77. The path to the top spot was equally impressive as the time itself. As Evans hit the bell in 1:23, he was overtaken by Olympian Charles Philibert-Thiboutot for top spot, but a powerful kick down the homestretch propelled the 27-year-old to victory and past his previous Club record set in January 2023.

Zach Jeggo and Quinn Coughlin: Rising Stars in the 400 metre hurdles

A pair of rising stars, Zach Jeggo and Quinn Coughlin, delivered standout performances in the 400 metre hurdles Friday night in Montreal – each improving their lifetime bests and demonstrating they are ready to compete with the best in the country at the national championships. 

Quinn Coughlin made an astonishing improvement, cutting more than a second and a half off her previous time as she crossed the line in a time of 1:00.30. Coughlin’s time currently ranks her second among U20 athletes in Canada and  catapulted her to 10th place on the Club’s all-time rankings.

Zach Jeggo, competing in the same event, secured third place with a time of 52.97. This remarkable run pushed Jeggo up to fifth on the Club’s U20 All-Time rankings and also sees him second nationally in the U20 category. 

Sydney Smith: Consistency in the 1000m

Sydney Smith continued her impressive form, running the second-fastest 1000 metre race of her career with a time of 2:43.13. Smith finished fifth overall among a field that included many of the same athletes she will go to battle with over 800 metres at the Trials.

Full results from La Classique are available on our website.

Photos from La Classique are available at MundoSportImages.com

Updated Club rankings are available at http://milesrowat.shinyapps.io/ottl_rankings/

(Ottawa, Canada---19 June 2024) Keira Reaney competing at Ottawa Summer Twilight Meet #3 at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Copyright 2024 Miles Ryan Rowat / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Lions set over 80 personal bests at Twilight #3

by linkinbioLocal

The hottest day of the year brought about a one hour delay to the kick off of the third Twilight Meet of the summer on Wednesday. However, neither of those issues were noticeable on the track or in the field as Lions athletes put up over 80 personal best performances on the evening. 

In addition to the many personal bests, a highlight of the meet was the qualification rounds for the Ontario Fastest Kid Competition. In the 100 metre races, Autumn Marks and Jediael Oppong-Nketiah emerged victorious in the girls’ and boys’ categories, respectively. Both athletes will advance to the provincial finals next month in Toronto.

Among the standout performers on Wednesday were Tansei Tan and Eli Mordel in the 110 metre hurdles. The pair of grade 10 students posted  times of 14.80 and 14.81 seconds respectively. Tansei and Eli now sit sixth and seventh respectively in Canada this year for U18 runners. They join fellow Lions Timeo Atonfo, Jonah Gratton, and Simon Salisbury who sit third, fourth, and fifth in the national rankings.

In the women’s triple jump, Elizabeth Moreland and Ella-Grace Gilbert each produced personal bests. Moreland’s leap of 11.42 metres places her 9th on the Club’s all-time U23 rankings, while Gilbert’s jump of 11.19 metres ranks her 14th.

Former OFSAA Champion Kai Gibson-Guevara achieved a new personal best of 1.95 metres in the high jump. His impressive clearance ranks 5th on the Club’s U18 all-time list and is currently the second highest jump by a U18 competitor in Canada this year.

Full results from the meet can be found on our website.

Photos from the competition can be found on Mundo Sport Images website.

Updated Club rankings are available at https://milesrowat.shinyapps.io/ottl_rankings/

(Toronto, Canada---16 July 2023) Nicolas Belan of Ottawa Lions T.F.C. races in the 800m at the 2023 Athletics Ontario Junior/Senior Championships held at the Metro Toronto Track and Field Center. Photograph Copyright 2023 Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images.

Belan Betters World U20 Standard in Hamilton

by Internationallinkinbio

On Friday night in Hamilton, 18-year-old Nicolas Belan took a significant step towards achieving a feat accomplished by only two other Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club members. Belan ran a personal best time of 3 minutes and 46.87 seconds for 1500 metres, surpassing the qualifying standard for the upcoming World Athletics U20 Championships. However, the race did not proceed exactly as planned.

After narrowly missing the 1500 metre standard for the World Athletics U20 Championships at the Johnny Loaring Classic almost two weeks ago, Belan saw Thursday night’s 1500m Night in Hamilton as a prime opportunity to break the 3:48.00 barrier. However, unexpected storms, which had delayed the final minutes of the Redblacks game, rolled through Hamilton, pushing the final five heats of the 1500 metres to Friday night.

Despite the weather-induced delay and the need for extra warm-ups and cool-downs, Belan stayed focused and did what he has done best this year—run faster.

Belan, who will be attending the University of Guelph, began competing for the Club in the summer of 2022, finishing the season with a personal best of 4:13.42. Over the next twelve months, his dedication and hard work paid off as he made the OFSAA final, qualified for the Canadian Championships, and shaved 16.5 seconds off his best time.

Taking a gap year after graduating from Canterbury High School, Belan has continued to excel, achieving four personal bests in five races this season, both indoors and outdoors. His consistent improvement raises the question of just how much faster he can go.

With two other Canadian runners also surpassing the World U20 standard, Belan may need yet another personal best at the upcoming Canadian Championships to secure one of the two spots on the team heading to Lima, Peru at the end of August.

If successful, Belan would become only the third Lion to represent Canada over 1500 metres at the World U20 Championships, joining Jenni Biewald (2006) and 2004 finalist Mike Woods.

(Windsor, Canada---02 June 2024) Lauren Gale races to win the 400m in meet record time at the 2024 Johnny Loaring Classic held at the University of Windsor. The competition is part of the Athletics Canada National Track and Field Tour and the World Athletics Continental Tour. Photograph Copyright 2024 Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Gale Surpasses Olympic Standard Again in Edmonton Victory

by InternationallinkinbioLocal

She does it again. For the second time in nine days, Lauren Gale dipped under the qualifying standard for this summer’s Olympic Games. Racing at the Edmonton Athletics Invitational Thursday, Gale roared around the track at the University of Alberta’s Foote Field in a blazing 50.83 seconds to take home the gold. 

Gale can guarantee her spot in Paris with a win at the upcoming Canadian Olympic Trials in Montreal scheduled for the end of the month. She is currently ranked as Canada’s fastest runner over 400 metres, having produced the fastest time by a Canadian in over 30 years last week when she set a new Club record at the Royal City Inferno. 

Also in Edmonton yesterday, David Adeleye made his return to the track after a fall at the Johnny Loaring Classic in Windsor. The recent University of Toronto graduate placed eighth in the 110 metre hurdles with a time of 14.09 seconds. 

On the other side of the Atlantic yesterday, Bianca Borgella continued her preparation for the Canadian Trials and Paralympic Games with a silver medal run in Paris. Competing at the IPC Grand Prix event in the French capital, Borgella battled a stiff -2.1 metres per second head wind as she crossed the line in a time of 12.28. The double medalist at last year’s World Championship is currently the top ranked 100 metre runner in the T13 category.

Closer to home, Twilight Meet #2 took place Wednesday night with 59 personal bests being set by Lions athletes. Two athletes in particular shone in the 300 metres, with both Stephan Balson and Ange-Mathis Kramo producing all-time top 10 marks. Balson won the event in a time of 34.58 seconds to move to eighth on the U20 list while Kramo finished second in 34.97 to sit fourth on the U18 list. 

Results from Twilight Meet #2 are available on our website.

Photos from Twilight Meet #2 are available on Mundo Sport Images website.

Updated Club rankings can be found at https://milesrowat.shinyapps.io/ottl_rankings/

(Ottawa, Canada---10 June 2023) Zachary Jeggo of Louis-Riel - Ottawa competes in the intermediate hurdles (gold) at the 2023 OFSAA Ontario High School Track and Field Championships. Photograph Copyright 2023 Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Jeggo leads 19 medal haul for Lions at OFSAA Championship

by High Schoollinkinbio

Ottawa Lions athletes made a remarkable impact at last weekend’s OFSAA Track and Field Championship in London as they captured an impressive 19 medals. In addition to the hardware collection, which included seven golds, the more than 50 athletes in attendance also set a total of 38 personal bests over the three day event.

As he did a year ago, Zachary Jeggo took home gold in both the 400 metres and intermediate hurdles.The Louis-Riel student produced lifetime bests in each of the two finals he contested. 

In the flat 400 final, Jeggo lined up inside of Clubmate Stephan Balson who took the race out hard and had a narrow edge as the pair entered the home stretch. However, over the final 100 Jeggo showed why he’s become king of the 400 as he crossed the finish line in a blazing 47.82 seconds. Balson finished in the silver medal position with a time of 48.27. 

Over the hurdles, Jeggo utilised his superior speed to run away from the competition, as he took down the defending champion in time of 53.72 seconds. The performance moved Zachary to 10th on the Club’s All-Time U20 list.

After a bronze last year, Grace Streek added a gold and silver medal to her OFSAA medal collection. The grade 11 student took top spot in the 2000 metre steeplechase with a time of 7 minutes and 1.61 seconds, finishing four seconds ahead of second place. At 3000 metres, Streek put forward a strong finish to pull herself from fourth into the silver medal position over the final 200 metres. 

Ange-Mathis Kramo made a significant mark at the OFSAA Track and Field Championship, capturing the junior boys’ 200-metre title and narrowly missing the top spot in the 100 metres by a mere 0.01 seconds. Kramo’s victory in the 200 metres, clocking in at an impressive 21.69 seconds, not only secured him the gold but also marked an upgrade from his silver in 2023. The Paul-Desmarais student’s time ranks second all-time for U18 in Club history. Over 100 metres, Kramo’s remarkable time of 10.72 seconds gave him the silver and moved him to equal third on the U18 list.

Winning the novice girls long jump with a personal best leap of 5.41 metres was Tahlia Aird-Greaves. The Gisele-Lalonde students jump bettered Keira Christie-Galloway’s 10-year-old U16 Club record of 5.38 metres. 

Similar to Christie-Galloway, Aird-Greaves also demonstrated some prowess in the sprint hurdles as she nabbed bronze, finishing in a personal best of 11.75 seconds. Her hurdle time was just six-hundredths of a second short of Christie-Galloway’s Club U16 record.

Rounding out the list of double medalists was Taisei Tan who quickly signalled he was a force to be reckoned with in the hurdles. The grade 10 student grabbed silver and bronze in the sprint and intermediate hurdle events respectively. Tan’s time of 39.45 seconds in the 300 metre hurdles now ranks him 9th all-time among U18 runners.

A pair of medals came in the open men’s 2000 metre steeplechase as Glebe’s Derek Strachan won the event in a personal best time of 6:00.83. Joining Derek on the podium was training partner Daniel Cova who placed third at 6:06.94. Cova’s time was also a lifetime best. With their efforts, Strachan moved to tenth  on the Club’s U20 list while Cova moved to third on the U18 list.

Rounding out the list of gold medal winners was Eli Mordel, who captured top spot in the junior boys pole vault. The grade 10 student at Sir Robert Bordern was the only jumper to clear 3.95 metres – securing his first OFSAA victory. Mordel’s leap was a 45 centimetre improvement on his East Regional winning jump and moved him into seventh on the Club’s U18 all-time list. 

Other medalists from the OFSAA Championships included:

Quinn Coughlin – Senior Girls 400m Hurdles (Silver)
Safwan El Mansari – Senior Boys 800m (Silver)
Maxime Chartrand – Novice Boys Pole Vault (Bronze)
Balqis Chouikhi – Senior Girls Pole Vault (Bronze)
Liam Davis – Senior Boys Shot Put (Bronze)

This year’s medal haul was the largest since 2009 when Club athletes won 22 medals. The highest total is 25 medals from the 2007 Championships held in Ottawa. 

For updated Club rankings, please visit https://milesrowat.shinyapps.io/ottl_rankings

(Ottawa, Canada---23 May 2024) Eli Mordel of Sir Robert Borden - Ottawa races in the 100m at the National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association (NCSSAA) Track and Field Championships. Photograph Copyright 2024 Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

More than 50 Lions qualify for OFSAA Track and Field Championship

by High Schoollinkinbio

When the final performance was recorded Friday afternoon in Belleville an impressive 50 Lions athletes had qualified for the pinnacle of high school track and field in Canada – the OFSAA Championships. In total, Lions athletes qualified in 77 individual events over the two-day event, winning an impressive 24 events and setting one new meet record.

A total of four athletes qualified in the maximum of three individual events led by first year senior competitor Grace Streek. The grade 11 student continued her record run in the open girls 2000 metre steeplechase as she nearly broke the 7-minute barrier with her 7:00.04 clocking. The performance is the sixth fastest in Club history. Streek also took top spot in the senior girls 3000 metres and added a silver at 1500m. 

Gisèle-Lalonde’s Tahlia Aird-Greaves sped her way into her first OFSAA Track and Field appearance. The grade nine student nabbed gold in the novice girls long jump event with a leap of 5.03 metres (#5 U16) and picked up a pair of silvers in both the 100 metres (12.48w) and 80 metre hurdle (12.12w) events.

Rounding out the quartet of triple qualifiers were Sir Robert Borden’s Eli Mordel and Colonel By’s Laila Lebel. Mordel took top spot in the junior boys pole vault with a leap of 3.50 metres and added silver and bronze in the 300 and 100 metre hurdles respectively. 

Lebel successfully qualified in all three of the novice girls distance races from 800 through 3000 metres. Over the longest distance, the grade nine student won convincingly in 11 and 10.00 seconds – a full 12 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. Lebel took home silver over 1500 metres (5:01.78) and was fourth at 800 metres (2:27.82).

Three other Lions were double gold medal winners at the regional championship – Quinn Coughlin, Zachary Jeggo, and Taisei Tan. 

Coughlin and Jeggo each took home gold in the senior 400 metre and 400 metre hurdle events. Coughlin, a grade 11 student at Opeongo High School, set a new personal best of 1:01.90 in the hurdles and also ran a seasonal best 57.21 in the flat 400. Coming off personal bests at the City Championships, Jeggo posted times of 48.19 and 55.46 in the flat and hurdle events respectively.

Rounding out the double gold medalists, Taisei Tan took home top spot in both the junior boys sprint (13.71w) and intermediate hurdles (40.53). 

Lions complete list of OFSAA individual qualifiers:

Gold – Bianca Arabackyj Novice Girls 1500m – 4:54.43 (De La Salle)

Gold – Laila Lebel Novice Girls 3000m – 11:10.00 (Colonel By)

Gold – Tahlia Aird-Greaves Novice Girls Long Jump – 5.03m (Gisèle-Lalonde)

Gold – Shannon Dewar Junior Girls 400m – 1:00.40 (St. Francis Xavier)

Gold – Quinn Coughlin Senior Girls 400m – 57.21 (Opeongo)

Gold – Grace Streek Senior Girls 3000m – 10:23.87 (Peak Centre)

Gold – Quinn Coughlin Senior Girls 400m Hurdles – 1:01.90 (Opeongo)

Gold – Waverley Lyons Senior Girls High Jump – 1.56m (Glebe)

Gold – Kaiya Woodcock Senior Girls Long Jump – 5.21m (Sacred Heart)

Gold – Sadie Gilbert Senior Girls Shot Put – 10.98m (Paul-Desmarais)

Gold – Grace Streek Open Girls 2000m Steeplechase – 7:00.04 (Peak Centre)

Gold – Luke Van Brabant Novice Boys 800m – 2:07.30 (Earl of March)

Gold – Zachary Benfaida Novice Boys 300m Hurdles – 43.00 (Merivale)

Gold – Ange-Mathis Kramo Junior Boys 200m – 22.33 (Paul-Desmarais)

Gold – Taisei Tan Junior Boys 100m Hurdles – 13.71 (Béatrice-Desloges)

Gold – Taisei Tan Junior Boys 300m Hurdles – 40.53 (Béatrice-Desloges)

Gold – Eli Mordel Junior Boys 300m Hurdles – 3.50m (Sir Robert Borden)

Gold – Zachary Jeggo Senior Boys 400m – 48.19 (Louis-Riel)

Gold – Timeo Atonfo Senior Boys 110m Hurdles – 14.24 (Gisèle-Lalonde)

Gold – Zachary Jeggo Senior Boys 400m Hurdles – 55.46 (Louis-Riel)

Gold – Liam Davis Senior Boys Shot Put – 16.56m (Opeongo)

Gold – Daniel Cova Open Boys 2000m Steeplechase – 6:08.86 (Louis-Riel)

Gold – Maxime Chartrand Novice Boys Pole Vault – 2.75m (Louis-Riel)

Gold – Balqis Chouikhi Senior Girls Pole Vault – 3.25m (Wilfrid Laurier)

Silver – Tahlia Aird-Greaves Novice Girls 100m – 12.48 (Gisèle-Lalonde)

Silver – Bianca Arabackyj Novice Girls 800m – 2:24.76 (De La Salle)

Silver – Laila Lebel Novice Girls 1500m – 5:01.78 (Colonel By)

Silver – Riley Daniels Novice Girls 3000m – 11:12.12 (The Element)

Silver – Tahlia Aird-Greaves Novice Girls 80m Hurdles – 12.12 (Gisèle-Lalonde)

Silver – Abby MacLeod Junior Girls 1000m – 12.63 (Tagwi)

Silver – Shannon Dewar Junior Girls 200m – 26.33 (St. Francis Xavier)

Silver – Kaiya Woodcock Senior Girls 100m – 11.88 (Sacred Heart)

Silver – Jocelyn Giannotti Senior Girls 800m – 2:20.84 (Holy Trinity)

Silver – Grace Streek Senior Girls 1500m – 4:40.42 (Peak Centre)

Silver – Luke Van Brabant Novice Boys 1500m – 4:23.80 (Earl of March)

Silver – Zachary Benfaida Novice Boys 100m Hurdles – 15.43 (Merivale)

Silver – Ange-Mathis Kramo Junior Boys 100m – 10.81 (Paul-Desmarais)

Silver – Eli Mordel Junior Boys 300m Hurdles – 41.11 (Sir Robert Borden)

Silver – Stephan Balson Senior Boys 400m – 48.49 (Lisgar)

Silver – Saul Taler Senior Boys 800m – 1:56.78 (Glebe)

Silver – Saul Taler Senior Boys 1500m – 3:58.48 (Glebe)

Silver – Daniel Cova Senior Boys 3000m – 8:45.21 (Louis-Riel)

Silver – Simon Salisbury Senior Boys 110m Hurdles – 14.32 (Notre Dame)

Silver – Kyle London Senior Boys 400m Hurdles – 56.72 (Wilfrid Laurier)

Silver – Timeo Atonfo Senior Boys Long Jump – 6.60m (Gisèle-Lalonde)

Silver – Derek Strachan Open Boys 2000m Steeplechase – 6:12.89 (Glebe)

Bronze – Riley Daniels Novice Girls 1500m – 5:02.31 (The Element)

Bronze – Roxy Gardiner Novice Girls High Jump – J1.48m (Sir Robert Borden)

Bronze – Abby Lorz Novice Girls Javelin – 31.21m (AY Jackson)

Bronze – Salome Kuemmerle Junior Girls High Jump – 1.45m (Brookfield)

Bronze – Sophia McIntyre Senior Girls 400m – 1:00.72 (St. Francis Xavier)

Bronze – Jocelyn Giannotti Senior Girls 1500m – 4:42.26 (Holy Trinity)

Bronze – Connor England Junior Boys 100m – 11.16 (North Dundas)

Bronze – Connor England Junior Boys 200m – 23.11 (North Dundas)

Bronze – Charlie Mortimer Junior Boys 3000m – 9:04.50 (Hillcrest)

Bronze – Eli Mordel Junior Boys 100m Hurdles – 14.12 (Sir Robert Borden)

Bronze – Stephan Balson Senior Boys 200m – 21.98 (Lisgar)

Bronze – William Sanders Senior Boys 400m – 49.18 (Mother Teresa)

Bronze – Safwan El Mansari Senior Boys 800m – 1:57.16 (De La Salle)

Bronze – Jonah Gratton Senior Boys 110m Hurdles – 14.47 (La Citadelle)

Bronze – Eric Zielonka Senior Boys 400m Hurdles – 58.02 (Brookfield)

Bronze – Sophia Procter Novice Girls Pole Vault – J2.30m (Ashbury)

4th – Laila Lebel Novice Girls 800m – 2:27.82 (Colonel By)

4th – Dahlia Loreti Novice Girls 1500m – 5:05.97 (Pierre Savard)

4th – Meredith McCabe Junior Girls 400m – 1:02.44 (Lisgar)

4th – Naomi Olberg Junior Girls Long Jump – 5.02m (Lisgar)

4th – Amy LeBlanc Senior Girls 200m – 25.54 (St. Francis Xavier)

4th – Lauren Alexander Senior Girls 1500m – 4:47.15 (Glebe)

4th – Waverley Lyons Senior Girls 400m Hurdles – 1:07.41 (Glebe)

4th – Andromeda Bromwich Senior Girls High Jump – J1.50m (Colonel By)

4th – Katie Purves Senior Girls Shot Put – 10.06m (Franco-Citea)

4th – Brennan Lee Junior Boys 800m – 2:03.34 (Mother Teresa)

4th – Noah Smith Senior Boys 3000m – 9:01.40 (Immaculata)

4th – Mason Brennan Senior Boys 110m Hurdles – 14.79 (Colonel By)

4th – Jonah Gratton Senior Boys 400m Hurdles – 58.31 (La Citadelle)

4th – Kyra Dobson Takoff Junior Girls Pole Vault – J2.45m (Sir Robert Borden)

4th – Maxime Chartrand Novice Boys 300m Hurdles – 44.70 (Louis-Riel)

(Ottawa, Canada---11 May 2024) L-R, Bianca Borgella, Jorai Oppong-Nketiah, Victoria McIntyre in the 100m final at the Ottawa Spring Kick Start track and field meet. Photograph Copyright 2024 Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Pair of Canadian Records highlights weekend for Lions

by linkinbio

What do you get when you combine Ottawa Race Weekend and the Bob Vigars Classic? Well, for Ottawa Lions athletes there were two Canadian sprint records, some Club Top-10 performances and over 40 personal best performances. 

A Canadian Record in athletics is not a regular occurrence, but in the heats of Sunday’s women’s 100 metres at the Bob Vigars Classic in London two fell in one race. 

Just three days short of her 16th birthday, Jorai Oppong-Nketiah broke a 13-year-old Canadian U18 record in the 100 metres when she crossed the line in her heat in an eye-popping 11.51 seconds. The old mark of 11.53 had been set by Brampton’s Khamica Bingham in 2011. In addition to setting a new national standard, Jorai’s time also set Club U18, U20, and U23 records and is the second fastest record by a Lion of any age. 

However, there were more fireworks in that heat as Clubmate Bianca Borgella became the first female visually impaired runner to crack the 12-second barrier in the 100 metres. Last year’s World Championship bronze medalist set a new Canadian standard of 11.93 seconds before dropping the record again in the final to 11.92 second. Borgella’s performance currently ranks her first in the world among female T13 sprinters and puts her in a strong position heading into this year’s Paralympic Games in Paris. 

At 200 metres, Oppong-Nketiah placed second in the open section with a personal best performance of 24.35 seconds. Jorai’s time is the third fastest in Club history by an athlete in the U18 category. 

Middle distance runners André Alie-Lamarche and Nicolas Belan each produced their own notable performances in London. Alie-Lamarche, known more for his exploits in the metric mile, sliced a second and a half off his 800 metre best as he placed second to the University of Regina’s John O’Reilly in 1:50.80. 

Belan lowered his 1500 metre best for the second time this season, running 3 minutes and 52.70 seconds to place fifth in the Open Section. His performance is the 15th fastest among Lions U20 athletes.

Ottawa Race Weekend was the venue for a number of notable performances by Lions athletes, headlined a pair of top-10 performances in both the men’s and women’s 10k events. Robert Kajuga placed seventh in the men’s race, crossing the line in a time of 30 minutes and 4 seconds. On the women’s side, Salome Nyirarukundo was fifth in 33 minutes and 59 seconds. 

Over 5 kilometres, Charlie Mortimer took home the bronze medal in 15:48. The Hillcrest student was one of three Lions to finish among the top-10 men, along with Noah Mansouri and Nicolas Abanto Enns.

Zoe Gardiner and Liz Maguire cracked the top-10 on the women’s side. Gardiner was seventh in 18:57 while Maguire was tenth in 19:22.

For updated Club Rankings, please visit https://milesrowat.shinyapps.io/ottl_rankings/

(Ottawa, Canada---10 June 2023) Jonah Gratton of La Citadelle - Cornwall competing in the intermediate hurdles at the 2023 OFSAA Ontario High School Track and Field Championships. Photograph Copyright 2023 Geoff Robins / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Ottawa Lions Athletes Excel at EOSSAA Championships

by High Schoollinkinbio

Eleven more Lions athletes advanced to the OFSAA East Regional Championship last Thursday and Friday. Competing at the EOSSAA Track and Field Championships at Thousand Islands Secondary School in Brockville, athletes recorded 18 new personal bests and brought home six gold medals.

Quinn Coughlin was the most well decorated Lion at EOSSAA, capturing three medals including two golds. The grade 11 student at Cobden’s Opeongo High School, swept the senior girls 400 and 400 metre hurdle events, the latter in a personal best time of 1:02.70. Coughlin also added a silver over 200 metres, finishing in a time of 25.96 seconds.

Abby MacLeod of Tagwi Secondary School excelled in the short sprint events. The grade 10 student secured second place in the junior girls 100 metres with a time of 13.17 seconds and finished fourth in the 200 metres, clocking in at 27.12 seconds. Her teammate, Averi Whitton, also from Tagwi, ran her way to a bronze medal over 3000 metres, finishing with a time of 12:43.98.

North Dundas’ Connor England picked up a pair of silver medals in the junior boys 100 and 200 metres with times of 11.35 and 22.87 seconds, respectively. England also placed fifth in the 300 metres hurdles. Rowan McCooeye from St. Joseph’s (Cornwall) put his speed to good use, placing second in the 100 metres hurdles with a time of 15.66 seconds. McCooeye also put forward a pair of top-five finishes in the 100 and 200 metre events.

On the road back from injury, last year’s EOSSAA sprint king John McGowan was dethroned on Friday. The St. Michael’s student had to settle for silver in Friday’s senior boys 100 metre final as he crossed the line in a time of 11.23 seconds

Lions athletes took the top two spots in each of the senior boys hurdle events led by La Citadelle’s Jonah Gratton. The grade 11 student posted a pair of personal bests on his way to gold in times of 14.80 and 59.78 seconds respectively. 

In the sprint hurdles, it was Notre Dame’s (Carleton Place) Simon Salisbury hot on Gratton’s heels as he also posted a personal best effort to nab silver in 14.96 seconds.

Ethan Lavictoire of St. Joseph’s (Arnprior) took silver over the 400 metre hurdles in 1:02.30.

Moving up to the senior ranks didn’t slow Malachi Kenny’s medal haul in the 800 metres. Last year’s junior boys OFSAA Champion found himself on top of the podium in Brockville with a 1:58.34 effort, good for a 1.4 second victory.

In the field, Opeongo’s Liam Davis from Opeongo easily captured top spot in the senior boys shot put. Davis’ best throw on the day measured 15.37 metres, about 2.5 metres further than his nearest competitor. 

Full results from the meet are available on our website.

Updated club rankings can be found here.

(Ottawa, Canada---23 May 2024) Taisei Tan of B_rice-Desloges races in the 100m at the National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association (NCSSAA) Track and Field Championships. Photograph Copyright 2024 Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Lions Break Four Records; Set 140 Personal Bests at Ottawa High School Championship

by High Schoollinkinbio

Athletes at last week’s National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association (NCSSAA) championship at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility enjoyed ideal conditions as they competed for a chance to advance to the OFSAA East Regional Championships in Belleville this Thursday and Friday. A total of 83 Lions athletes progressed in 147 individual events, continuing their journey on the Road to OFSAA.

The City Championships were not just about advancing; Lions athletes delivered outstanding performances, achieving 140 personal bests over the two-day event and setting four new meet records.

Peak Academy’s Grace Streek set the tone by breaking Elizabeth Vroom’s record in the 2000-metre steeplechase in the first event of the Championship. Streek finished in a blazing 7 minutes and 6.58 seconds, nearly seven seconds faster than Vroom’s previous standard. The grade 11 student’s performance now ranks her seventh in Club history. Grace also claimed gold medals at 1500 and 3000 metres.

Zachary Jeggo of Louis-Riel made history by becoming the first athlete to break the 48-second barrier in the 400 metres at the NCSSAA Championship. The grade 11’s student’s time of 47.96 seconds surpassed Phillip Hughes’ 1986 record of 48.32 seconds.

Jeggo’s victory led a quartet of impressive performances in the senior boys’ 400 metres. Lisgar’s Stephan Balson secured silver with a time of 48.48 seconds, while Mother Teresa’s Will Sanders also broke the 50-second barrier, finishing at 49.37 – both times were personal bests. De La Salle’s Safwan El Mansari completed the top four with a time of 50.84.

Jeggo also set a personal best of 54.22 seconds in the 400-metre hurdles, ranking as the top high school performance this season and the second fastest U20 performance in Canada so far this season.

Béatrice-Desloges’ Taisei Tran nearly set two championship records in the hurdle events. He finished the 100-metre hurdles in 13.90 seconds, faster than Leewinchell Jean’s record of 13.93, but a trailing wind of 2.6 metres per second nullified the record. However, Tran redeemed himself by breaking former Lion Matt Stenson’s 28-year-old 300-metre hurdle record with a time of 40.08 seconds.

Ange-Mathis Kramo of Paul-Desmarais broke the junior boys’ 200-metre record that had stood since 1991. Kramo’s time of 22.15 seconds shaved four hundredths off the previous mark and gave him a comfortable 1.15-second margin of victory.

Kramo’s success extended beyond the 200 metres as he swept all three sprint events with personal best times. He broke the 11-second barrier in the 100 metres for the first time and set a personal best of 50.29 seconds in the 400 metres, trimming more than a second off his previous best.

Below is a list of all individual winners:

Bianca Arabackyj (De La Salle) – Novice Girls 1500m 5:04.23

Laila Lebel (Colonel By) – Novice Girls 3000m 11:22.21

Roxy Gardiner (Sir Robert Borden) – Novice Girls High Jump 1.50m

Roxy Gardiner (Sir Robert Borden) – Novice Girls Triple Jump 10.47m

Shannon Dewar (St. Francis Xavier) – Junior Girls 200m 27.06

Shannon Dewar (St. Francis Xavier) – Junior Girls 400m 59.34

Maya Allibon (John McCrae) – Junior Girls 1500m 5:08.34

Shannon Dewar (St. Francis Xavier) – Junior Girls 300m Hurdles 48.33

Salome Kuemmerle (Brookfield H) – Junior Girls High Jump 1.55m

Sophia McIntyre (St. Francis Xavier) – Senior Girls 400m 1:01.38

Jocelyn Giannotti (Holy Trinity) – Senior Girls 800m 2:21.75

Grace Streek (Peak Centre) – Senior Girls 1500m 4:42.79

Grace Streek (Peak Centre) – Senior Girls 3000m 10:50.26

Waverley Lyons (Glebe) – Senior Girls 400m Hurdles 1:09.70

Waverley Lyons (Glebe) – Senior Girls High Jump 1.50m

Balqis Chouikhi (Sir Wilfred Laurier) – Senior Girls Pole Vault 3.05m

Kaiya Woodcock (Sacred Heart) – Senior Girls Long Jump 5.73m
Sadie Gilbert (Paul-Desmarais) – Senior Girls Shot Put 10.87m

Grace Streek (Peak Centre) – Open Girls 2000m Steeplechase 7:06.58

Luke Van Brabant (Earl of March) – Novice Boys 800m 2:10.93

Luke Van Brabant (Earl of March) – Novice Boys 1500m 4:39.49

Ange-Mathis Kramo (Paul-Desmarais) – Junior Boys 100m 10.94

Ange-Mathis Kramo (Paul-Desmarais) – Junior Boys 200m 22.15

Ange-Mathis Kramo (Paul-Desmarais) – Junior Boys 400m 50.29

Brennan Lee (Mother Teresa) – Junior Boys 800m 2:04.62

Charlie Mortimer (Hillcrest) – Junior Boys 1500m 4:21.59

Charlie Mortimer (Hillcrest) – Junior Boys 3000m 9:16.21

Taisei Tan (Béatrice-Desloges) – Junior Boys 100m Hurdles 13.90

Taisei Tan (Béatrice-Desloges) – Junior Boys 300m Hurdles 40.08

Eli Mordel (Sir Robert Borden) – Junior Boys Pole Vault 3.50m

Zachary Jeggo (Louis-Riel) – Senior Boys 400m 47.96

Saul Taler (Glebe) – Senior Boys 1500m 3:58.79

Daniel Cova (Louis-Riel) – Senior Boys 3000m 9:02.41

Timeo Atonfo (Gisèle-Lalonde) – Senior Boys 110m Hurdles 14.92

Zachary Jeggo (Louis-Riel) – Senior Boys 400m Hurdles 54.22

Timeo Atonfo (Gisèle-Lalonde) – Senior Boys Long Jump 6.80m

Derek Strachan (Glebe) – Open Boys 2000m Steeplechase 6:05.60

FULL MEET RESULTS ARE AVAILABLE HERE