(Ottawa, Canada---26 November 2022) Ottawa Lions U18 Girls competing in the 2022 Athletics Canada Cross Country Championships. Photograph Copyright 2022 Miles Ryan / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

U18 Girls Win Back-to-Back Championship; Maguire Takes Masters Gold

by linkinbioNational

With Ottawa playing host to the Canadian Cross Country Championships for the second year in a row, many things were a little bit different in the sequel. Along with the move from Wesley Clover Park to Mooney’s Bay, the most welcome change yesterday had to have been the balmy temperatures which peaked around seven degrees centigrade in the afternoon – nearly 20 degrees warmer than in 2021. However, one important consistency remained – the Lions U18 girls team were crowned national champions for the second year in a row.

After a narrow one point victory of the University of Toronto Track Club a year ago, the U18 girls enjoyed a 30 point cushion over second place South Simcoe Dufferin on Saturday. For the second year in a row Amelia Van Brabant led the charge for the Lions, finishing 18th overall in a time of 16 minutes and 1 second on the four kilometre course. Jocelyn Giannotti was the second scorer, finishing four spots behind Van Brabant in 22nd –  50 places up from her 2021 finish. The top four scorers were rounded out by Louise Stonham and Quinn Coughlin, who placed 46th and 50th respectively. 

The team victory is the 12th national team title in the Club’s history and the U18 girls become only the second team to ever repeat as national champions. The U20 men’s team won back-to-back titles 30 years ago. 

Both U20 teams posted top-5 results – a marked improvement over 2021 where the women did not field a team and the men placed eighth. 

Led by USports Rookie of the Year Elizabeth Vroom, the U20 women were fifth with 187 points. Vroom, a first year student at Queen’s University, placed 20th – covering the six kilometre course in 24 minutes and six seconds. Gillian Porter crossed the line in 25:24 to finish 38th overall, while Grace Munro and Aria MacDonald rounded out the scorers for the Lions in 61st and 68th respectively. 

Zachary Sikka was the top finisher for the U20 men, placing 33rd overall in a time of 28:02 over the eight kilometre course. Max Benda (44th), Frédéric Parent (49th), and Kyle Porter (53rd) rounded out the scorers for the Lions as the team amassed 179 points – 66 points better than in 2021. 

Just missing the top-five was the U18 boys team as they amassed 251 points to finish sixth overall. Kiefer Melinz Dupuis was the top scorer as he placed 30th overall in the six kilometre race. With no U16 race at the national level, Saul Taler and Daniel Cova each raced up a category as they were the second and third scorers for the team in 46th and 71st respectively. Nicolas Belan rounded out the team’s scoring in 104th place. 

In one of the tightest spreads of the whole day, the Open Men’s team placed seventh overall for the second year in a row. Scorers Adrian Fournier, André Alie-Lamarche, Robert Mitchell, and Nic Roberts all finished within five spots of each other. Fournier topped the group, crossing the line 49th in a time of 33:11. 

In the masters competition, Liz Maguire took top spot in the women’s 55-59 category. The 56-year old finished the eight kilometre course in a time of 34 minutes and 54 seconds – more than a minute and a half ahead of second place. Fritzlor Auguste picked up a silver medal in the men’s 30-34 category, finishing in 32 minutes and 11 seconds. 

For complete results from the championship as well as photos from the event, please visit our results page.

(Ottawa, Canada --- 01 June 2022) David Moulongou competing at the Ottawa Summer Twilight Series Meet #2 . Photograph Copyright 2022 Miles Rowat / Mundo Sport Images Please tag @mundosportimages if posting on social media

Lions put on show to remember at Canada Games

by linkinbioNational

Just five years ago, the Ottawa Lions had no athletes competing at the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg. It was the first time it had happened in the 43 year history of the Club. As the athletics portion of this year’s Games in Niagara wrapped up this afternoon, only one thought comes to mind, “My how things have changed!”.

An impressive six current Lions donned the red and white of Team Ontario at the Games, combining to bring home five medals – equalling the total captured by the 2009 Lions in Charlottetown. 

The four days of competition at the new Canada Games Park in Thorold has been a bit of a coming out party for 400 metre hurdler David Moulongou. The University of Ottawa student, who was only introduced to the one lap hurdles race this year, put the country on notice with his silver medal in Friday’s final. 

Moulongou has proven he performs his best when it matters most this season. First he ran a personal best to win the trials and qualify for the team back in early July. On Friday, he chopped 1.99 seconds off the lifetime best to win his silver medal. David came into the Games with the goal to “finally be able to ‘click’ and showcase the talent that has remained ‘potential,’ as a result of being new to my event.” Two words – mission accomplished!

If one medal wasn’t enough for the 19-year-old Moulongou, he teamed up with fellow Lion and 400 metre hurdler, Luca Nicoletti, to help Team Ontario to a bronze in the 4×400 metre relay today. The pair ran the opening to legs, as Ontario finished in 3:11.90 – just 0.11 seconds behind Quebec. 

Another hurdler, David Adeleye, also put on a show when it mattered most. The University of Toronto student ran his third personal best in just over 10 days when he took home the silver in the 110 metre hurdles on Saturday afternoon. Adeleye’s time of 14.03 seconds took a full tenth of a second off his previous best, set at the final Twilight of the season and gets him closer to becoming only the third Lion to break the 14 second barrier. 

Before his individual glory though came team gold. Adeleye ran lead off for Ontario’s 4×100 metre relay team in the heats before being replaced in the final, where Ontario won by three tenths of a second over British Columbia. 

For thrower Tommy Nedow, the Games’ marked the end of a very long season that has seen the Brockville native compete more than 40 times this year. However, the 24-year-old managed to end his season with a pair of bronze medals as he took home bronze in both the shot put and discus. For good measure, he added a fifth place finish in the hammer throw as well. 

Sprinter Doyin Ogunremi competed right near her lifetime bests all week, but fell just short of the podium. After a fourth place finish in the open 400 metre found her just 35 hundredths off the podium, she was met with nearly the identical fate in the relay. Despite a strong 55.2 second anchor leg, Ogunremi was half step behind the Team BC runner as Ontario missed the podium by four tenths in 3:41.51.

While there was much success for current Lions on the track, the Club’s story at the Games does not end there. Team Ontario also featured two former Lions Madison McLean and Jonathan Rioux, while Will Cox represented Nova Scotia, where he is attending university. 

McLean had the perfect meet as she took top spot in the javelin and also set a new personal best of 47.84 metres in the process. On the track, Cox and Rioux battled it out in the 3000 metre steeplechase as the pair finished fifth and sixth respectively. The separation between the two – just two hundredths of a second.

Away from the track, current heptathlete Audrey Goddard is representing Ontario on the volleyball court. Goddard and her teammates are set to square off against Quebec on Sunday to determine fifth place in the tournament. 

Other former Lions in action in the Games included Lucy Hempstead, and sisters Amelia and Zoe Wojtyk. 

Hempstead, who gave up her sprint spikes for cycling shoes after the 2020 season, was champion in the time trial event and also placed sixth in the road race. 

The Wojtyk sisters didn’t have to move too far when they left track and field, switching to canoeing on the other side of Mooney’s Bay with the Rideau Canoe Club. The pair captured an impressive seven medals on the water. The pair teamed up for a silver in the C-2 1000m, and were both on the IC-4 200m and 500m boats that captured bronze. Individually, Zoe was the silver medalist in the C-1 5000m and also won bronze as part of the mixed C-2 500m. Amelia, who was a pole vaulter with the Club, paddled her way to a pair of silvers in the C-1 500 and 1000 metre events. 

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Lions set to compete in Canada Summer Games

by linkinbioNational

After a one year delay, the time has finally arrived. The athletics portion of the Canada Summer Games, a quadrennial multi-sport event that brings together the best summer sport athletes from across Canada, kicks off Tuesday morning at Canada Games Park in Thorold, Ont. The Lions will be represented by six current members during the four day competition, and they will be led by another three Lions coaches. 

David Adeleye, David Moulongou, Tom Nedow, Luca Nicoletti, Doyin Ogunremi, and Leo Wallner will don the red and white of Team Ontario, guided by head coach Leslie Estwick and two of her assistants Zach Quevillon and Amanda Fader. Two former Lions, Madison McLean (javelin) and Jonathan Rioux (3000m steeplechase) will also be representing Ontario at the Games. 

Wallner is the first to compete, starting day one of the two day decathlon at 9:25 am on Tuesday morning. The 18-year-old says his goal heading into the Games is to improve on his throwing events and hopefully make a run for the 6000 point barrier. Wallner had set a new personal best of 5689 points when he won the Trials in early July. 

Tuesday will also see a pair of 400 metre hurdlers in action in the form of Luca Nicoletti and David Moulongou. The pair finished third and fifth respectively at this year’s Canadian U20 Championships and have their eyes set squarely on running even faster on this new Canada Games Park track. 

While both are also expected to take part in relay events for Team Ontario, Moulongou has been offered another challenge at the Games – the 800 metres. While not having contested the event previously, the University of Ottawa student will toe the line in the heats Wednesday as the coaches believe his 400 metre speed (personal best 48.94) and his strength from the hurdles will be a solid combination to help Ontario score valuable team points. 

Tuesday will also feature the heats for the flat 400 metres for Doyin Ogunremi. The 19-year-old has been on a bit of a tear of late, having produced a wonderful lead off leg for the Lions’ Canadian Club record setting 4×400 metre at the national championships and followed that up with a massive lifetime best to win the trials back in early July. She’ll be looking to keep those feet moving fast to secure a spot in Friday’s final. 

Ogunremi will also contest the 200 metre heats on Wednesday, and is also expected to line up on the 4×400 metre relay team. 

If you’re looking for Tom Nedow, he’ll be out in the field throwing some heavy objects. The 24-year-old is one of the oldest members of team Ontario and one of its busiest as he will contest three of the four throwing events in Thorold. The national silver medalist will undoubtedly be a favourite in the discus when it gets started Tuesday afternoon. 

Nedow will contest the shot put on Wednesday, an event where he just set a new lifetime best of 17.61 metres less than two weeks ago. He’ll follow that up a couple hours later with the hammer throw, an event he won at this year’s Ontario Championships. 

Look for David Adeleye to be gunning for a spot on the podium in his speciality, the 110 metre hurdles when they get going on Wednesday. The University of Toronto student is coming off a pair of personal bests at our final Twilight last Wednesday and is primed to break the 14 second barrier in the right conditions. 

Away from the track, heptathlete Audrey Goddard will be jumping with a slightly different purpose as she spike her way to a medal as part of Ontario’s volleyball team. The multi-sport talent, who also plays for the Ottawa Fusion Volleyball Club, will put her six foot tall stature and bouncy step to great use as outside attacker. Goddard and Team Ontario kick off round robin play on Tuesday against Nova Scotia. 

Tuesday will also be the first day of action for Lucy Hempstead as she competes in the cycling time trial event – a strong suit for the former 400 metre hurdler. Hempstead, who made the transition from the track to road cycling after a strong performance at the RBC Training Ground, has stated her goals for the Games are to “win the time trial and position myself well in the road race.”

Below is a schedule of events for Lions athletes on the track and in the field.

Tuesday, August 16

09h25    Decathlon 100m (Leo Wallner)
10h15    Decathlon Long Jump (Leo Wallner)
10h40    Men’s 400m Hurdle Heats (Luca Nicoletti/David Moulongou)
12h30    Decathlon Shot Put (Leo Wallner)
14h30    Decathlon High Jump (Leo Wallner)
15h10    Women’s 400m Heats (Doyin Ogunremi)
16h00    Men’s Discus Qualifying (Tom Nedow)
17h20    Decathlon 400m (Leo Wallner)

Wednesday, August 17        

09h00    Decathlon 110m Hurdles (Leo Wallner)
09h30    Men’s Shot Put Qualifying (Tom Nedow)
10h15    Decathlon Discus (Leo Wallner)
10h20    Women’s 200m Heats (Doyin Ogunremi)
11h15    Men’s 800m heats (David Moulongou)
12h20    Decathlon Pole Vault (Leo Wallner)
14h55    Men’s 110m Hurdle Heats (David Adeleye)
15h15    Decathlon Javelin (Leo Wallner)
16h30    Men’s Hammer Throw Qualifying (Tom Nedow)
16h35    Men’s 4x400m Heats (Luca Nicoletti/David Moulongou)
17h05    Women’s 4x400m Heats (Doyin Ogunremi)
17h50    Decathlon 1500m (Leo Wallner)

Friday, August 19

11h15    Men’s 400m Consolation Final (David Moulongou*)
11h25    Women’s 400m Consolation Final (Doyin Ogunremi*)
11h35    Men’s 400m Final (David Moulongou*)
11h45    Women’s 400m Final (Doyin Ogunremi*)
13h15    Men’s Hammer Final (Tom Nedow*)
15h00    Men’s Shot Put Final (Tom Nedow*)
16h45    Men’s 400m Hurdle Consolation Final (Luca Nicoletti/David Moulongou*)
17h15    Men’s 400m Hurdle Final (Luca Nicoletti/David Moulongou*)

Saturday, August 20

09h00    Men’s Discus Final (Tom Nedow*)
09h05    Women’s 200m Consolation Final (Doyin Ogunremi*)
09h25    Women’s 200m Final (Doyin Ogunremi*)
10h50    Men’s 800m Consolation Final (David Moulongou*)
11h10    Men’s 800m Final (David Moulongou*)
11h45    Men’s 110m Hurdle Consolation Final (David Adeleye*)
11h50    Men’s 110m Hurdle Final (David Adeleye*)
16h05    Men’s 4x400m Final (Luca Nicoletti/David Moulongou*)
16h15    Women’s 4x400m Final (Doyin Ogunremi*)

*pending qualification

For results, visit Windsor Timing.

For Live Streaming, visit https://niagara2022games.ca/

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Ottawa to host 2025 and 2026 Canadian Track and Field Championships

by linkinbioLocalNational

The Canadian Track and Field Championships are coming back to the nation’s capital. Athletics Canada announced today that the 2025 and 2026 editions will be held in Ottawa at Terry Fox Athletic Park, site of the 2017 and 2018 editions.

“We’re pleased to return to Ottawa, the 2017 and 2018 editions of the Canadian Track and Field Championships were some of the best editions ever staged,” said Mathieu Gentès, Chief Executive Officer, Athletics Canada. “Spectator attendance, grassroots integration, and a first-rate sport and entertainment experience were major focus points, the Athletics Canada team looks forward to working with the Ottawa Lions and national and local partners to springboard off those 2017 and 2018 success stories.”

The Canadian Track and Field Championships serve as the national championship for U20, Open and Para Athletics categories. The 2025 edition will serve as World Trials for the 2025 World Athletics Championships to be held in Tokyo, Japan.

“The Ottawa Lions look forward to working with Athletics Canada and the City of Ottawa to bring another exciting set of Championship meets to the nation’s capital in 2025 and 2026,” said Richard Johnston, Executive Director, Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club. “The expansive Ottawa Lions Track and Field programs and partners in the community, will be vital to the volunteer base and operations, while serving as a great platform to incorporate grassroots programming into the event, attract a new fan base and create a memorable experience for those competing and those attending.”

Earlier this summer, Athletics Canada announced that the 2024 Bell Olympic and Paralympic Track and Field Trials will take place in Montreal. The 2023 edition of the event is set for Langley, British-Columbia, July 27 – 30.

OTTAWA - August 4, 2021: Louise Stonham competing in the 2000m steeplechase at Ottawa Summer Twilight #14 at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Photograph Copyright 2001 Miles Rowat / Mundo Sport Images

Lions wrap up Legion Nationals with four medals on final day

by linkinbioNational

Closing out a successful Royal Canadian Legion Championship on Sunday, the Ottawa Lions added four more medals to their tally – bringing the total to nine over the three day Canadian Championship. 

For the third straight day, Will Batley found his way to the podium as he picked up a silver in the U16 boys 200 metres following gold in both the 100 metres and 4×100 metre relays. The soon to be grade 10 student at West Carleton Secondary School battled a 2.7 metres per second head wind as he crossed the line in 23.60 seconds – 0.44 seconds behind winner Dominik Bahadur of Laurel Creek. 

Mason Brennan, a member of the gold medal winning U16 boys 4×100 metre relay, won his first individual medal of the championship – a silver in the 200 metre hurdles. The Colonel By student finished in 27.45 seconds, well off his best as the competitors also battled headwinds of 3.0 metres per second. Teammate Zach Jeggo placed 6th in a time of 29.11 seconds. 

Steeplechaser Louise Stonham was the third athlete across the line in the U18 girls 2000 metre steeplechase, but for a while it was not clear she would be the one standing on the podium. The Arnprior District High School student finished in 7:04.19, but was initially disqualified for a suspected lane violation that was overturned on appeal. Stonham’s bronze medal caps quite a year for the soon to be grade 12 student as she now holds a full set of medals from season after a team gold in cross country and silver at the U20 Championships in the 3000 metre steeplechase. 

The final medal of the weekend came from the final event – the U18 boys 4×400 metre relay. With U16 athlete Timeo Afonto being recruited to run lead off, the team of Atonfo, Eric Zielonka, William Sanders, and Nolan Legare ran an impressive 3:26.35 to take the bronze behind British Columbia and Alberta. The quartet’s time is the third fastest U18 time in Club history. 

Just missing out on the podium in the U16 girls 800 metres was Quinn Coughlin. The Opeongo student ran a personal best time of 2:17.54 to finish fourth. Lauren Alexander posted a 2:17.44 to place seventh in the U18 girls 800, while Matteo Padoin-Castillo was eighth in the U16 boys 1500 metre steeplechase with his 4:59.67 clocking. 

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Lions relay wins Canadian Championship in record time

by linkinbioNational

The second day of competition at the 2022 Royal Canadian Legion Championships saw the Lions add another two medals to the haul, bringing the total to five, including a national championship for the U16 boys 4×100 metre relay team. 

For the second day in a row Will Batley was crowned national champion as the Canadian 100 metre champion anchored the quartet of Timeo Afonto, Mason Brennan, and Zach Jeggo to victory in the U16 4×100 metre relay. The Lions narrowly edged out Team Quebec for top spot, crossing the line in 45.26 seconds, just four hundredths ahead of their provincial opponents. The winning time also bests the previous Club age class record of 45.54 set back in 2008 by Cameron Smithers, Eric Leclerc, Devin Biocchi, and Brian Okeny. 

Afonto, Jeggo, and Batley nearly made the podium again a few races later in the sprint medley. Teamed with Saul Taler, the quartet placed fourth in a time of 3:49.23. They were the top placing club in the event, beaten only by provincial team entries from British Columbia, Manitoba, and Quebec. 

Also picking up a second medal on day two was Kai Gibson as the Longfields Davidson student took the silver in the U16 boys high jump. Gibson cleared 1.79 metres, just a centimetre below his OFSAA winning best of 1.80 metres. Teammate Mason Brennan finished eighth with a clearance of 1.65 metres.

Registering top eight individual finishes on day two of competition included Zach Jeggo (5th U16 boys 300m), Nolan Legare (6th U18 boys 400m), Amelia Van Brabant (5th U18 girls 3000m), and Quinn Coughlin (7th U16 girls 300m). 

(Ottawa, Canada --- 08 June 2022) Will Batley competing at Ottawa Summer Twilight Meet #3 Photograph Copyright 2022 Miles Rowat / Mundo Sport Images Please tag @mundosportimages if posting on social media

Lions kick off Legion Nationals with full set of medals

by linkinbioNational

After a two year absence, the Royal Canadian Legion Championships kicked off Friday morning in Sherbrooke with 25 Lions athletes set to compete over the three day competition. The pride came in with gusto, picking up a full set of medals and six top 10 performances.

Will Batley was crowned Canada’s fastest 15 year old Friday as he captured gold in the U16 boys 100 metre race in a time of 11.39 seconds. Battling a head wind of 1.7 metres per second, the West Carleton Secondary School student’s time was just one one hundredth of a second off his personal best set at the OFSAA Championships back in June. 

With his victory, Batley becomes the first Lion to win the U16 100 metre gold in 20 years, and just the third all time – joining Olympian Oluseyi Smith (2002) and Matthew Stenson (1994).

Next on the podium was Kai Gibson, as he hoped, skipped, and jumped his way to a silver medal in the U16 boys triple jump. The reigning OFSAA high jump champion used his bouncy feet to bound his way out to a personal best distance of 12.60 metres on his first jump. Proving it was no fluke, he followed it up with a jump of 12.59 metres on his final attempt. 

Similarly to Batley, Gibson’s medal was the first for a Lion in the event since 1979 when future Olympian and Lions Hall of Fame member Brian Marshall also took home the silver medal. 

Rounding out the podium performances was Timeo Atonfo who nabbed himself a bronze in the U16 boys 100 metre hurdles. Atonfo, a silver medalist last weekend over the 200 metre hurdles at the Ontario Championships, finished in a personal best time of 14.26 seconds, just three one hundredths behind second. Atonfo’s teammates Mason Brennan and Zach Jeggo finished fifth and sixth respectively. 

Rounding out the top-10 finishes was Adelle MacLeod, who placed ninth in the U18 girls long jump with a distance of 4.88 metres. 

For live results, visit: https://chrono-v.ca/220805

Live streaming: athleticscanada.tv

(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.