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Lions clinch U20 provincial title; hold narrow lead in Open Championship

by linkinbioProvincial

With a locked up U20 team title and a hand on the Open crown, the Ontario Championships would have to be considered a success for the Lions. A success that included For the second year in a row the Lions left the Ontario Championship with a U20 title with some hardware in tow, as they clinched the team title with an impressive 33 medals, including 12 gold. 

The U20 Lions clinched their second straight provincial title by amassing 208.5 points over the three day competition, nearly double last year’s winning score. While the U20 Championship will officially end late July with the hosting of the Combined Events Championship, the Lions’ 92 point lead over London Western is mathematically impossible to overcome. 

For the Open Championship, the Lions were able to put 166.5 points on the board to hold a 10.5 point lead over Royal City Athletics Club. However, it is London Western with 140.5 that poses the greatest threat to the Lions title hopes with multiple athletes likely to contest the Combined Events Championship. 

Setting the tone for the weekend were a trio of teenage steeplers in Gillian Porter, Zachary Sikka, and Elizabeth Vroom. Porter and Sikka each won their respective U20 events by more than 10 seconds, while Vroom moved up to the open 3000m steeple event to take silver in 10:58.23 – the second fastest time ever by a junior in Club history. 

Taking home an impressive three individual medals was thrower Tommy Nedow. The Brockville native produced gold medal efforts in both the discus (49.30m) and hammer throw (52.87m). 

Nedow’s gold in the discus completed a full set of medals in the open discus after bronze in 2018 and silver in 2019. As well, his hammer throw victory was the first by a male Lion since James Fahie’s victory in 1994 – four years before Nedow was born. 

Rounding out the medal haul on the weekend was a bronze in the shot put for Nedow, who produced a best throw of 15.49 metres on his final effort. 

Sprinter Katie Manor had a big weekend on the track that included three personal best performances, a silver medal, and her first provincial title. The University of Ottawa student started the championship off right by producing the fastest time in the U20 women’s 100 metre qualifying – a personal best of 11.94 seconds. She followed it up with a similarly fast 11.96 clocking in the final to place second.

Over 200 metres, Manor continued her strong running, clipping nearly four tenths off her personal best in the heats with a time of 24.90 seconds to lead qualifying. Not to be outdone, she followed it up in the finals with an impressive 24.75 second showing and a gold medal. So far this season, Manor has erased 1.3 seconds off her personal best.

Audrey Goddard added to the gold medal count with her victory in the U20 women’s 100 metre hurdles on Saturday. The 18 year old produced back-to-back personal bests in the heats and finals en-route to a narrow victory over Robyn Larkan of Toronto Racers (14.34  to 14.39). Goddard’s winning time moved her to eighth on the Club’s U20 all-time list. 

The final individual gold came from Sydney Smith in the open women’s 800 metres on Sunday. Competing in her first 800 of the season, Smith appeared well seasoned as she bided her time before a well timed kick for home in the final 100 metres sealed the victory for her. Smith’s winning time of 2:05.35 was a massive improvement over her previous best of 2:12.88 and moves her to seventh on the Club’s all-time list. 

Below is a complete list of medal winners from the weekend:

Gillian Porer – Gold (U20 Women 2000m Steeplechase)
Zachary Sikka – Gold (U20 Men 3000m Steeplechase)
Audrey Goddard – Gold (U20 Women 100m Hurdles)
Tommy Nedow – Gold (Open Men Discus)
Tommy Nedow – Gold (Open Men Hammer Throw)
Katie Manor – Gold (U20 Women 200m)
Sydney Smith – Gold (Open Women 800m)
Vanessa Lu Langley, Doyin Ogunremi, Paulina Procyk, Maria Okwechime – Gold (Open Women 4x100m)
Elizabeth Vroom, Gillian, Porter, Lauren Alexander, Freya Hurst – Gold (U20 Women 4x800m)
Brooklyn McCormick, Grace Munro, Olivia Baggley, Charlotte Murchison – Gold (Open Women 4x800m)
Helena Jovic, Alexandra Telford, Sydney Smith, Doyin Ogunremi – Gold (Open Women’s 4x400m)
Luca Nicoletti, Nolan Legare, Thomas Kukla-Colby, David Moulongou – Gold (U20 Men’s 4x400m)
Elizabeth Vroom – Silver (Open Women 3000m Steeplechase)
Maria Okwechime – Silver (Open Women Long Jump)
Katie Manor – Silver (U20 Women 100m)
Olivia Baggley – Silver (U20 Women 3000m)
Saj Alhaddad – Silver (Open Men 400m Hurdles)
Luca Nicoletti – Silver (U20 Men 200m)
Audrey Goddard, Mattson Strickler, Cora McQuinn, Bianca Borgella – Silver (U20 Women 4x100m)
Seiyf Gebara, Luca Nicoletti, David Moulongou, Leo Wallner – Silver (U20 Men 4x100m)
Fabrice Nonez, Saj Alhaddad, André Alie-Lamarche, Leewinchell Jean – Silver (Open Men’s 4x400m)
Coralie Ostertag, Kelly Brennan, Audrey Gilmour, Emily Brennan – Silver (Open Women’s 4x100m)
Mattson Strickler – Bronze (U20 Women 400m)
Alexandra Telford – Bronze (Open Women 400m)
Alexandra Telford – Bronze (Open Women 400m Hurdles)
Tommy Nedow – Bronze (Open Men Shot Put)
Emily Brennan – Bronze (U20 Women 400m Hurdles)
David Moulongoou – Bronze (U20 Men 400m Hurdles)
Elizabeth Moreland – Bronze (U20 Women Triple Jump)
Stephen Evans – Bronze (Open Men 800m)
Zachary Sikka, Jack Link, Kyle Porter, Nolan Legare – Bronze (U20 Men 4x800m)
Audrey Gilmour, Emily Brennan, Grace Munro, Mattson Stickler – Bronze (U20 Women 4x400m)
Brooklyn McCormick, Stephanie Leask, Sia Mahajan, Kelly Brennan – Bronze (Open Women’s 4x400m)

(York, Canada — 3 June 2022) L-R, William Bigler of Appleby College - Oakville, William Sanders of Mother Teresa - Ottawa, Chris Jackson of St. Mary's - Kitchener competing in the junior boys 400m final at the 2022 OFSAA Ontario High School Track and Field Championships held at the Toronto Track and Field Centre at York University. 2022 Copyright Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images.

Lions take home 14 medals from OFSAA Championships

by High SchoollinkinbioProvincial

For the high school athletes of the Ottawa Lions, it was a long two year hiatus, but they returned to the OFSAA Championships this past weekend in Toronto without missing a beat. In total, the athletes amassed 14 medals, including four golds, and one Canadian Interscholastic Record. 

The national record went to Elizabeth Vroom in the 2000 metre steeplechase as the grade 12 student won the event in a blistering six minutes and 52.19 seconds. Teammate Gillian Porter took home the silver in 7:01.47, while Louise Stonham placed 5th in 7:14.90.

The aptly named Vroom is a relative newcomer to the sport, having only joined the Club this past winter. The Sir Wilfred Laurier student has translated her successful playing time on the pitch with the Ottawa South United Soccer Club to the track quite well, setting meet records at every competition in the lead up to the OFSAA Championships. 

Vroom’s run now ranks as the second fastest U20 performance in Club history behind former Canadian record holder Danelle Woods.  

Also running to the top of the OFSAA podium this weekend were Vroom’s training partners Amelia Van Brabant and Maddie Seaby. The pair swept the top two spots in the women’s 3000m. Amelia Van Brabant took home the gold in a personal best nine minutes and 47.94 seconds, while Seaby followed behind in 9:55.43 – also a personal best. 

Vroom just missed a second OFSAA medal in the 3000, taking fourth in a personal best 10:03.51. Louise Stonham rounded out the group with her sixth place finish in a lifetime best of 10:09.13.

Mother Teresa student William Sanders continued his dominance of the junior boys 400 metres on Friday afternoon, capturing his first OFSAA gold medal in a personal best time of 51.51 seconds. Sanders, who had won every race prior to the provincial championships by nearly two seconds or more, took a hold of the lead at the 200 metre mark, and withstood the late charges from William Bigler to win by nearly a quarter of a second. 

Off the track, Kai Gibson captured the only other gold medal of the weekend in the novice boys high jump. The grade nine student from Longfields-Davidson Secondary School cleared 1.80 metres to claim top spot. Second place finisher Jeramiah Zomerman of Chatham Christian also cleared 1.80 metres, but Gibson took top spot by virtue of his first attempt clearance of the height. 

A complete list of all the medal winners from this year’s OFSAA Championship are included below.

Novice BoysKai GibsonLongfields-DavidsonHigh JumpGOLD – 1.80m
Junior BoysDustin ColdreyColonel ByShot PutBRONZE – 14.01m
Senior BoysConnor FraserImmaculataDiscusSILVER – 47.71m
Open GirlsElizabeth VroomSir Wilfred Laurier2000m SteeplechaseGOLD – 6:52.19
Open GirlsGillian PorterFrano-Cité2000m SteeplechaseSILVER – 7:01.47
Senior GirlsAudrey GoddardMerivale100m HurdlesSILVER – 13.99
Novice GirlsQuinn CoughlinOpeongo400mSILVER – 57.88
Senior BoysLuca NicolettiPaul-Desmarais110m HurdlesBRONZE – 14.14
Junior BoysWilliam SandersMother Teresa400mGOLD – 51.51
Novice BoysWill BatleyWest Carleton100mBRONZE – 11.38
Senior GirlsAmelia Van BrabantEarl of March3000mGOLD – 9:47.94
Senior GirlsMaddie SeabyCarleton Place3000mSILVER – 9:55.43
Senior BoysLuca NicolettiPaul-Desmarais400m HurdlesSILVER – 54.62
Novice GirlsQuinn CoughlinOpeongo800mSILVER – 2:18.14
Helena Jovic competes at the Bob Vigars Classic in London, Ontario, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Mundo Sport Images/ GEOFF ROBINS

Lions set bests and win medals at Bob Vigars Classic

by linkinbioNationalProvincial

The National Track and Field Tour rolled its way into southwestern Ontario for its third stop on Sunday at the Bob Vigars Classic in London. The largest outing of the early outdoor season for the Lions saw 20 athletes compete at Western University’s Alumni Stadium – pulling in a number of personal bests and six podium performances. 

Rachael Burrows captured the three Lions victoires Sunday, sweeping all three sprint events. The Paralympian rolled her way to victories over 100, 200, and 400 metres in times of 23.61, 46.75, and 1:34.52 respectively. 

Also on the sprint straightaway, Kathryn Manor and Bertwin Ben-Smith each produced lifetime bests to earn spots in their respective 100 metre elite finals. 

Manor, who just wrapped up her first year at the University of Ottawa, dipped under the 12-second barrier for the first time in her career in the heats to claim the eighth spot in the final with a time of 11.96 seconds. The time makes Manor the fourth fastest U20 woman in Club history. She would place eighth in the final with a time of 12.12.

Ben-Smith trimmed one one-hundredth of a second off his best in the heats as clocked in at 10.72 seconds. The University of Guelph graduate followed up in the final with an all-conditions equaling best of 10.68 seconds to finish sixth. 

David Moulongou and Sydney Smith, competing at 400 metres, also found their way on to the “PB train”. Moulongou trimmed five hundredths of a second off his best, crossing the line in 49.60 seconds on his way to a second place finish in the open section. Smith showed she was nothing if not consistent in her fourth place finish in the elite section. The University of Ottawa graduate student matched her best of 55.59 seconds set just two weeks prior in Ottawa. 

The other medal on the track came from Helena Jovic as she took home the bronze in the 400 metre hurdles. The University of Toronto student crossed the line in 1:03.55.

In the field, Emma Dobson-Takoff produced a best leap of 11.01 metres, just three centimetres off her best, in the triple jump to place third. Also in the horizontal jumps, Maria Okwechime exceeded her lifetime best with a windy 5.70 metre leap to finish just off the podium in fourth. 

Sydney-Smith-OUA-Champion

Smith and Telford golden at conference championships

by linkinbioProvincialUniversity

We expect there was a good amount celebrating at the Smith/Telford residence Sunday night following a golden weekend at their respective university conference championships for the two Lions varsity athletes.Roommates Sydney Smith and Alexandra Telford combined for a trio of gold medals this past weekend at the OUA and RSEQ Championships and did so in rather impressive fashion.

First to the podium was Smith who executed her 600m race strategy to absolute perfection. Biding her time for the first two laps, Smith surged past Guelph’s Sadie-Jane Hickson on the bell lap to capture her first OUA title in a personal best time of 1:30.37. The performance ranks as the sixth fastest in Club history.

The human kinetics graduate student nearly picked up a second medal in the 4×400 metre relay as her speedy anchor leg of 54.64 seconds took the Gee-Gees to within half a second of bronze. However, with their time of 3:51.66, the team of Doyin Ogunremi, Hannah Frazer, Frédérique Bell, and Smith will qualify for the USports Championship in two weeks time.

For Telford, her victories came fast and furious on day two of the Quebec conference championship. The Carleton graduate student began with a personal best effort to take the 60 metre hurdle title in 8.97 seconds. It was part of an Ottawa sweep of the podium, as silver went to fellow Lion Vanessa Lu Langley who is studying at McGill, while bronze went to recent University of Ottawa graduate Stéphanie Lapolice, who is completing graduate work in health promotion at Université Laval.

Less than an hour after her hurdles triumph, Telford was back on the track for the final of the 300 metres and another personal best performance. Her winning time of 38.74 seconds was more than a full second clear of the second place runner. Telford’s time moves her into fifth on the Club’s all-time list as she jumps ahead of two-time Olympian Alicia Brown.

Carleton’s Alec Jeffrey also found his way onto the podium at the RSEQ Championship. The school record holder in the shot put, Jeffrey heaved the shot out to 13.33 metres to claim the silver medal.

Picking up a silver medal at the OUA Championships was the University of Ottawa’s Thomas Senechal-Becker. The first year student cleared 2.02 metres in the high jump.

Another noteworthy performance included Emma Martins’ fifth place finish in the 60 metre final with a personal best time of 7.77 seconds. As well, David Adeleye, running for the University of Toronto, was just off his lifetime best, placing 6th in the 60 metre hurdles in 8.22 seconds, while Jenna Gervais (Western) set a personal best of 9.02 to qualify for the final of the women’s hurdles event, where she would place seventh overall. Finally, Brianna Asiamah just missed her lifetime best by three centimetres in the shot put with a 12.45 metre heave to place seventh.

Sydney-Smith-Feature-Image

Lions kick of March with strong start

by linkinbioProvincialUniversity

The fastest 600 in USports this season, seventh best 60 metre hurdles in Club history, and a pair of gold medals from the Ontario Championships. Seems as though the air outside wasn’t the only thing heating up on the first weekend in March.

After starting her season with a school record at 500 metres back in January, the University of Ottawa’s Sydney Smith has progressively lowered her best over 600 metres in three successive races this season. The latest effort, on Sunday at the Lancer Team Challenge in Windsor, saw her shave a second and a half off her previous best as she out leaned two-time Olympian Noelle Montcalm to win the 600 in a time of one minute and 30.47 seconds.  In the process, Smith also bested Clubmate Melissa-Bishop-Nriagu’s 12 year old meet record of 1:31.25.

“I’m really happy with the race and how I ran it – it feels good to kind of see everything start to come together,” said Smith of her USport Championship qualifying performance. However, she quickly affirmed her work is not done. “I know tomorrow [Coach] Normand and I will be back to work to get ready for the next few weeks coming up.”

Hurdler David Adeleye was also making big moves on the track Sunday – running his way into the Club’s all-time list. Also competing in Windsor, the second year University of Toronto kinesiology student dropped nearly two tenths off his 60 metre hurdles best in the prelims with an 8.14 second clocking. The time moves Adeleye to seventh on the Club’s all-time list and currently puts him fourth on the USport national rankings. David would go on to win the final in a time of 8.20 seconds.

Gee-Gee high jumper Thomas Senechal-Becker also found a spot on the top of the podium after a clearance of 2.05 metres. The height the moves the first year health sciences student into third on the USports national rankings, in a solid position to qualify for the national championships at the end of the month.

At the Ontario Indoor Championships in Toronto, the pair of Amelia Van Brabant and Oluwasegun Makinde each managed to capture provincial titles – the Club’s first at the Ontario indoor championships since 2003 when a young Stuart Pearson won the U16 tetrathlon.

After a fifth place finish in the 1500 metres on Saturday, Van Brabant added an indoor 3000 metre championship to the one she captured outdoors last summer. The grade 11 Earl of March student narrowly eked out the victory over Sarnia’s Gabby Jones by four hundredths of a second, crossing the line in 10:03.49.

The pair ran nearly in lock stop throughout the 15 lap race, creating a 16 second gap on the rest of the field by the time they went through 2000 metres. Jones had pulled ahead at the bell, 0.8 seconds in front of Van Brabant, for the largest lead of the day; however, a powerful kick home from Amelia saw her close in 36.1 for the narrow victory.

Makinde’s gold was far less dramatic, as he comfortably won the open 60 metre hurdles in 8.20 seconds – more than two tenths ahead of second. While many may know the two time Olympic relay team member for his flat speed prowess, Makinde has an impressive history in the hurdles that includes a national high school record, Canadian U20 title, and World U20 Championship semi-finals appearance. It was the 22nd gold medal he has won at an Ontario championship during his career.

The Lions will be back in action again this coming weekend with the varsity squads off to Montreal for the last chance meet and Lauren Gale as her sights set on setting a new Canadian record at 400 metres at the NCAA Championships in Alabama.

(Kingston, Canada---14 November 2021) Madeleine Seaby, Kyla Martin, Amelia Van Brabant, and Abigail Sammut. racing in the U18 Girls race at the 2021 Athletics Ontario Cross Country Championships held on Fort Henry Hill in Kingston, Ontario.. Photograph copyright 2021 Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images.

Van Brabant tops in the province

by linkinbioProvincial

Amelia Van Brabant extended her unbeaten streak to four as she took home gold in the U18 girls race at the Ontario Cross Country in Kingston on Sunday. The grade 11 student finished the six kilometre course atop Fort Henry in 21 minutes and 37.2 seconds to capture her second provincial title of 2021 after taking gold in the U20 3000 metres on the track.

Van Brabant, who easily captured the Capital XC and National Capital high school titles earlier in the fall was just as dominating at the provincial level. The Earl of March student’s margin of victory was an impressive 28 seconds over hometown runner Alexandra Campbell of Physi-Kult. The pair had been in tight until about 800 metres to go when Van Brabant found another gear and sped to the finish line.

Joining Amelia in the top-10 were Olivia Baggley (5th) and Cara MacDonald (9th) as the U18 team amassed a measly 37 points to take the team title over the Newmarket Huskies (56 pts). The fourth scorer for the Lions was Gillian Porter in 22nd with a time of 23 minutes and 36.9 seconds.

The Lions also featured two other winners on the day – Ronan Lebel in the U8 boys race while Sinead Gomes took top spot in the U10 girls event. Both of the younger events were raced over a single kilometre. Lebel enjoyed a 20 second margin of victory, finishing in 3 minutes and 52.1 seconds. Gomes crossed the finish line in 3 minutes and 30.7 seconds, 18 seconds ahead of second.

The other top Lions on the day were as follows:

U10 Boys – Eric Combasson 11th
U12 Girls – Catalina Estevez 22nd
U12 Boys – Kai Lebel 4th
U14 Girls – Laila Lebel 14th
U14 Boys – Dominique Church 66th
U16 Girls – Lauren Alexander 26th
U16 Boys – William Sanders 20th
U18 Boys – Zachary Sikka 34th
U20 Women – Skye Pellerin 4th
Open Women – Jessica McRae 15th
Open Men – Nicholas Pedersen 14th
Masters – Gilles Frenette 41st16

Leslie Estwick Coaching

Estwick named head coach of Team Ontario for Canada Summer Games

by linkinbioProvincial

In a post on their Instagram feed yesterday, Athletics Ontario announced Leslie Estwick will serve as head coach for Team Ontario for the 2022 Canada Summer Games. The Games are scheduled for August 6-21 with the Athletics portion being held at the newly developed Canada Games Park in St. Catherines.

Estwick is no stranger to the experience of the Canada Summer Games, having represented Ontario as an athlete at the 1981 Games in both the high jump and heptathlon. More recently, the long time jumps coach has served on the coaching staff for Team Ontario at the past three Summer Games. In addition to her Canada Games experience, Estwick has also served on Canadian Mission Staffs for multiple Commonwealth and Olympic Games’ teams.

“I am honoured and grateful to receive this appointment,” said Estwick in the Athletics Ontario announcement. “I have loved my Canada Summer Games experiences as an athlete and an assistant coach and I recognize its value in athlete development. I am really excited and looking forward to working with AO staff, coaches and managers to assemble an amazing Team O and bring an unforgettable experience to the next generation of athletes.”

 

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 finish second in province for second week in a row

by linkinbioProvincial

It was deja vu all over again for Lions coaches this past weekend as they witnessed another provincial title fall just out of their grasp as the Under-18 team placed second at the Ontario Championships despite garnering eight medals – including three gold.  Like it did for the senior athletes, the title was decided in the final event, the men’s 4×400 metre relay, with the Lions placing fourth and coming up two points shy of London Western’s winning total of 116 points. In the three provincial championships held so far this summer, the margin of victory has been two points or less.

The women’s 4×800 metre relay winning team of Louise Stoneham, Gillian Porter, Koree Yach, and Amelia Van Brabant combined for a massive 46 of the Lions 114 point total. The quartet finished five seconds clear of second place in a time of nine minutes and 46.21 seconds – good enough for fifth on the Club’s age group rankings. Individually, Stoneham and Porter took the top two spots in the 2000 metre steeplechase, both in personal best efforts, finishing in times of 7:21.78 and 7:29.90 respectively.

Stoneham picked up five more points with her fourth place finish in the 3000 metres as Van Brabant nabbed a silver in the second best performance of her life – 10:05.40. Van Brabant, who has seen significant improvements across all her events this summer also nabbed a new personal best at 1500 metres, 4:39.85, to pick up a fourth place finish at five more team points.

The other gold medal of the weekend came from Adriano Padoin-Castillo as he took top honours in the steeplechase. The Immaculata High School student trimmed more than half a minute off his previous best to cross the line in six minutes and 36.87 seconds – just a fraction of a second ahead of Laurel Creek’s Nathan Paul. Padoin-Castillo also ran the lead leg of the 4×800 metre relay that place fourth.

Other individual medals came from Thomas Kukla-Colby and Audrey Goddard, who each took home bronze. Kukla-Colby set a new best of 56.63 seconds over the 400 metre hurdles for his third place finish, while Goddard cleared 1.45 metres for third in the high jump.

The women’s 4×100 and 4×400 metre relay teams picked up the final two bronze’s of the weekend.

Click here for full results.

OTTAWA - July 14, 2021: David Moulongou competing at Ottawa Summer Twilight #11 at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility.

Lions finish second at Ontario Open Championships

by linkinbioProvincial

For the second time in two weeks, the Lions found themselves in a tight battle for the team title at the provincial championship. As is known to be the case, the team title was decided in the final event – the men’s 4×400 metre relay, where the Lions entered tied with Royal City Track Club from Guelph at 103 points. However. Royal City’s one second victory gave them the overall crown with the quartet of Luca Nicoletti, Leewinchell Jean, Fabrice Nonez, and David Moulongou grabbing silver – one of 12 medals for the Lions over the weekend.

The one of the most decorated athletes of the Championship was Alexandra Telford, who took home a total of three medals, including two gold. While earning relay medals in her teenage years, the 25-year-old took home her first individual provincial medal Saturday as she ran away with gold in the 400 metres. Running just off her personal best, Telford finished in 55.85 seconds, nearly a second ahead of silver. Teammate Helana Jovic also picked up a bronze in the race.

Telford would set a new lifetime best Sunday in the 400 metre hurdles, placing third in 1:00.35 to move to ninth on the Club’s all-time list. Jovic would finish three spots back in sixth with 1:02.50. The pair would teamed up with Doyin Ogunremi and Madison Clarke to take the gold in both the 4×400 metre relay.

Bianca Borgella also took home a trio of golds as she captured both the para ambulatory 100 and 400 metres. The latter in a new Canadian T13 record of 1:04.30. The 18-year-old just missed her Canadian record in the 100 metres with her 12.76 clocking. Borgella also helped anchor the 4×100 metre relay team of Vanessa Lu Langley, Doyin Ogunremi, and Kelly Brennan to gold in thee 4×100 metres.

Topping the podium in the 3000 metre steeplechase was Nicholas Pedersen who was making his debut at the distance. The 21-year-old had not run the steeplechase since placing sixth at the 2018 OFSAA Championships over the 2000 metre distance. Pedersen’s time of nine minutes and 44.80 seconds was more than a minute ahead of silver and moves him to 16th best in Club history.

Leewinchell Jean produced a lifetime best to take silver in the 400 metre hurdles. The University of Windsor student crossed the line in 52.86 seconds, dropping nine tenths of a second from his previous best set winning OFSAA gold in 2019.

Other medals from the weekend included a bronze from Stephen Evans in the 800 metres and gold from the 4×100 metre relay team of David Adeleye, Luca Nicoletti, David Moulongou, and Bertwin Ben-Smith.

(Tornton, Canada---24 July 2021) Vanessa Lu Langley competing in the 100m hurdle heats at the 2021 Athletics Ontario U20 Championships, held at the Metro Toronto Track and Field Centre. Photograph 2021 Copyright Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images. If you post on social media please tag @mundosportimages on Instagram or tag Mundo Sport Images on Facebook.

Lions win Ontario U20 title for first time since 2014

by linkinbioProvincial

Not even Mother Nature could cool off the sizzling performances on the track as the Ottawa Lions captured the Ontario U20 team title – its first since 2014. Despite a rain delay Saturday, it was an otherwise perfect weekend for competition at the Metro Toronto Track and Field Centre on the campus of York University as the Lions narrowly edged out the Flying Angels Track Club by a single point, 108-107, to capture the provincial banner.  The provincial title, the Club’s 54th since 2000, was a truly team effort with points coming from 18 of the 22 events the Lions were entered in.

The lone gold medal of the weekend came from one of the youngest competitors, 16-year-old Amelia Van Brabant in the 3000 metres. The soon to be grade 11 student put together a jaw dropping performance, crossing the line in 9:57.73 and knocking over 26 seconds off her previous best. Not to be outdone, Van Brabant also dropped four seconds off her 1500 metre best as she ran to a sixth place finish in 4:42.46 to pick up an extra three points.

The remaining medals from the weekend came by way of the hurdles and relays, with Lions athletes securing a medal in each of the four hurdle events and the five relays they participated in.

David Adeleye and Vanessa Lu Langley each picked up a bronze in the sprint hurdles. Adeleye, the soon to be second year student at the University of Toronto, set a personal best of 14.14 seconds over the 110 metre hurdles in the prelims before a 14.34 second clocking in the finals. Entering her second year at McGill University, Lu Langley was at her best in the finals of the 100 metre hurdles, equaling her personal best at 15.49 seconds.

The 400 metre hurdles saw Keito Newman pick up his first provincial. Running out of the slow heat of the timed final event, Newman produced a more than two second personal best of 56.98 seconds to narrowly edge out teammate Luca Nicoletti. Similarly, Emily Brennan also produced a more than two second lifetime best (1:07.13) to nab bronze in the women’s race.

The relays produced silvers in both 4×100 metre events as the team of Cora McQuinn, Doyin Ogunremi, Emily Brennan, and Bianca Borgella finished in a time of 50.03 seconds. A slight bobble in the final handoff likely kept the quartet of Seiyf Gebara, Luca Nicoletti, David Moulongou, and David Adeleye from claiming top spot, as they finished in 42.70 seconds, just behind Flying Angels.

Nicoletti and Moulongou teamed up with Thomas Kukla-Colby and Keito Newman in the 4×400 relay to garner another silver – again in a very tight finish. The quartet led the race for 1599 metres before being edged at the line by World U20 qualifier Michael Roth of St. Thomas Legion. The margin of victory for St. Thomas Legion – just seven hundredths ahead of the Lions 3:24.71 clocking.

The women’s 4×400 metre relay team exchanged Borgella for Audrey Gilmour as they picked up another silver – this time in 4:03.26.

Andrew Taylor, Phoenix Bouma, Cameron Porter, and Jackson Roy rounded out the relay medal haul as they place second in the 4×800 metre race with a time of 8 minutes and 24.37 seconds.

“Everyone showed up,” exclaimed Aspire program lead Zach Quevillon of the the team title. “Countless personal bests and seasons bests across the board resulted in a team championship. In between events, athletes were supporting each other with advice or cheering, both of which kept team moral higher than it has been in over a year due to COVID. I am most proud of the athletes ability to weather the uncertainty of the last 16 months and show up with an incredible desire to compete and to win.”

For full results and photos of the championship, visit our results page.