Posts tagged: Royal Canadian Legion

Brockville, ON — Ottawa Lions athletes delivered an impressive performance at Saturday’s Royal Canadian Legion District G Championships, combining for 18 national qualifying standards and a number of all-time club top-10 performances at Thousand Islands Secondary School.

Nearly 50 Lions athletes ranging in age from 7 to 18 travelled to Brockville, marking one of the club’s largest contingents at the competition in recent years. The meet serves as a key stepping stone toward the Royal Canadian Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships, scheduled for August in Regina, SK.

The club’s middle-distance crew led the charge on the track. Jake Claydon-St. John secured national standards in both the U16 boys 800 metres and 1200 metres, clocking 2:05.08 and 3:25.01 respectively for gold in both events. Kai Lebel narrowly missed the national standard in the 2000 metres while winning in 6:24.51 before earning his place on the national standard list with a debut performance of 4:48.87 in the 1500-metre steeplechase. The mark moved him to sixth on the club’s all-time U16 rankings.

Roan Gerth enjoyed a standout day, achieving national standards in both the 1500 metres (5:15.97) and 2000 metres (6:56.42). The 2000-metre performance places her ninth on the club’s U16 all-time list.

Additional national standards on the track came from Quinten Lepp in the girls 1200 metres (3:53.69), Ara Helbawi in the girls 1500 metres (5:38.58), Penny Roy in the 1500-metre race walk (9:20.85), Ethan Hood in the boys 400 metres (50.68), and Brock Stonham in the 110-metre hurdles (15.65).

The field events produced an equally impressive collection of performances.

Anabelle Muir continued her strong season in the pole vault, clearing 3.35 metres to once again surpass the U18 national standard. Charlotte Morales also bettered the qualifying mark with a clearance of 2.95 metres.

Mallea McMullin delivered one of the top performances of the meet in the girls javelin, throwing 43.93 metres for the victory. The mark comfortably surpassed the national qualifying standard of 32.00 metres.

Megan Paterson qualified in both the U18 shot put, discus, and hammer throw recording marks of 11.41 metres, 34.37 metres, and 37.20 metres respectively. Paterson hammer mark moved her into fifth on the club’s U18 all-time rankings. Brooklyn Reesal added another national U16 standard in the discus with a throw of 29.08 metres.

On the boys side, Jarred Rathwell eclipsed the 50-metre barrier in the javelin for the first time with the 700 gram implement, launching it 50.01 metres for the win. The performance ranks sixth all-time in the club’s U18 age group. Liam Mordel also secured a national standard in the U16 pole vault, clearing 2.55 metres.

With 18 national standards secured and numerous personal bests recorded, Lions athletes now turn their attention to the Ontario Legion Championships in Sudbury from July 10-12, where they will look to secure their spots on Team Ontario for the Legion National Championships later this summer.

Sixteen athletes from the Ottawa Lions kicked off their road to Nationals in style last Sunday, collecting a remarkable 37 medals at the Royal Canadian Legion District G Track and Field Meet held at Thousand Islands Secondary School in Brockville. With 18 golds among the haul, the regional qualifier served as a strong start toward the Legion National Championships set for August in Calgary.

Leading the charge was Eric Combasson, who stood atop the podium no fewer than three times in the U14 division, claiming gold in the 80m, 80m hurdles, and high jump. He also added silver medals in the javelin and long jump, and a bronze in the 300m—an impressive six-medal outing.

Five Lions hit national standards, earning valuable qualifications for the summer finale. Mikel Fortier delivered a strong performance in the U18 boys 2000m steeplechase, stopping the clock at 6:29.69—a personal best that clinched his ticket to Calgary. Fortier didn’t stop there, returning later to win the 3000m in 9:40.79.

Pole vaulter Eli Mordel soared to 3.30m to match the national benchmark and secure top honours in the U18 boys event. He also clocked a windy 14.50 seconds to take gold in the 110m hurdles.

Sprinter Chloë Martineau secured a coveted spot at the Ontario Championships with her runner-up finish in the U18 girls 100m. Her time of 12.65 seconds also cleared the national standard. Martineau completed her day with a victory in the 200m, running a wind-aided 26.21.

Fresh off his OFSAA triumph, Parker Baetz was a dominating force in the throws. The U18 standout notched wins in the javelin (47.76m) and shot put (12.41m), and also hit the national standard in discus with a personal best throw of 40.60m.

Elsewhere, Moussa Cisse showed continued progress with personal bests in all three of his events. He earned a silver and two bronze medals on the day and secured his Ontario Championships berth with a 12.21m leap in the triple jump.

Farrah Henderson battled the heat and came away with a golden double in the U18 girls 1500m (5:37.23) and 3000m (12:39.38), further adding to the Lions’ medal tally.

With more meets ahead before provincial and national teams are finalized, Sunday’s results showed there is much to look forward to this summer season. The next stop on the path to Calgary is the Ontario Legion Championships, set for York University July 11–12.

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