(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.

(Langley, Canada---28 July 2023) André Alie-Lamarche competing on day two of the Canadian Track and Field Championships at the MacLeod Athletic Park Stadium. Copyright 2023 Miles Ryan Rowat/ Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Lions Excel in Week of World Wide Competition

by Internationallinkinbio

It’s been a busy seven days in athletics for Lions members with athletes competing across six countries and putting up a number of phenomenal performances as the outdoor season swings into gear. 

At the Down The Stretch Track Festival at George Mason Stadium in Fairfax, Virginia last Friday, André Alie-Lamarche delivered a stellar performance in the men’s mile. Finishing with a time of 4:01.17, Alie-Lamarche brought the crowd to their feet as he pushed the pace over the final 400 metres. André’s result marks the eighth fastest mile in Club history.

Simultaneously, at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix held at Drake Stadium, Kevin Robertson showcased his prowess in the men’s 3000-metre steeplechase. With a time of 8:36.92, Robertson recorded the second fastest performance of his career as he rounds in to form ahead of next month’s Olympic Trials in Montreal.

Back on home soil, a small group competed at the SLS Coupe Excellence #1 held at Piste Ben Leduc in St. Laurent last Saturday – capturing two gold and a silver. Rosemary Holmes and Quinn Lyness swept the women’s and men’s 400 metre hurdles respectively. Holmes took top spot in a time of 1:04.57 while Lyness crossed the line in 56.55 seconds.

Taking silver in the women’s 200 metres was Victoria McIntyre. The 28-year-old sprinter finished in a seasonal best time of 24.76 seconds.

Rounding out the crew in Quebec, Luca Nicoletti posted a seasonal best time of 11.17 seconds for 100 metres and finished ninth at 200 metres in 22.86 seconds.

Stephen Evans ended last weekend with a seasonal best effort in Lucca, ITA. Competing at the Lucca International Meeting, Evans placed fifth over 800 metres in a time of 1 minute and 47.65 seconds. His effort in Italy currently ranks as the fourth fastest performance in Canada this season. The 27-year-old followed Sunday’s performance with another 1:47 run on Wednesday in Kladno, CZE.

Rounding out the European contingent, Lauren Gale nearly equalled her Canadian Best performance at 300 metres with a silver medal run of 36.53 seconds at the Trond Mond Games in Bergen, NOR on Wednesday. Gale then followed that up two days later in Lahti, FIN as she took top spot in the 400 metres with a blistering time of 51.37 seconds. Gale’s time in Finland is the fastest in Canada this year and just seven hundredths off her Club record.


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

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May’s Athletic Triumphs: Canadian Records, High School Stars, and Exciting Competitions

by High SchoolInternationallinkinbioLocal

The month of May burst into action with remarkable performances from Lions athletes across three countries.

World Relay Championships: Lauren Gale led Canada to a new national record in the mixed 4×400 meter relay during the World Relay Championships in The Bahamas over the weekend. Gale and her team secured third place in their heat, clocking in at an impressive 3 minutes and 14.66 seconds. Although they narrowly missed the top two spots required for automatic Olympic qualification, their performance bested the previous national mark of 3:15.20 set at last year’s Canadian Championships.

Trials of Miles Friday Night Lights: André Alie-Lamarche showcased his talent by finishing fifth in the 1500 meters event at the Trials of Miles Friday Night Lights event in New York’s Icahn Stadium. Crossing the finish line in 3 minutes and 48.85 seconds, Alie-Lamarche delivered his second-best performance of the year.

Run Ottawa’s Run to Empower: In Ottawa, two Lions athletes made their mark at Run Ottawa’s Run to Empower event. Adriano Padoin-Castillo claimed victory in the open 5-kilometer race, clocking in at an impressive 16 minutes and 44 seconds. Saoirse Kealey secured a top-10 finish in the Ottawa’s Fastest Woman 5km section, crossing the line in 18 minutes and 54 seconds.

uOttawa High School Invite: The uOttawa High School Invite saw a significant turnout over both days, with outstanding performances. Stephan Balson of Lisgar dominated the senior boys’ events, setting a personal best of 10.89 seconds in the 100 meters and finishing second with a time of 21.96 seconds in the 200 meters.

Ange Mathis-Kramo from Paul-Desmarais School made an impressive start to the season by clinching victories in both the junior boys’ 100 and 200 meter events. His time of 11.09 seconds in the 100 meters set a new meet record, while his 200 meter performance of 22.42 seconds showcased his dominance in the field.

Jorai Oppong-Nketiah continued her stellar form from last season by sweeping the 100 and 200 meter events, setting new records in both categories. Her windy 100 meter time of 11.99 seconds broke a 13-year-old record, while her 200 meter victory in 25.34 seconds shaved off an impressive 2.5 seconds from the previous record set in 2023.

Looking ahead, the high school action continues with the National Capital Classic, and the outdoor season kicks off with the Spring Kick Start meet on Friday and Saturday.

For updated club rankings, visit this link.

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Gale takes down another Canadian record

by InternationallinkinbioUniversity

For the fourth meet in a row Lauren Gale has broken a Canadian record; however this time she had a little help. Running lead off on the 4×400 metre relay entry at last weekend’s World Indoor Championships, Gale helped Team Canada to a time of 3 minutes and 31.45 seconds as they placed fourth in their heat in the Serbian capital of Belgrade.

Despite the new Canadian indoor record, the team of Gale, Kyra Constantine, Natassha McDonald, and Sage Watson failed to advance to the final. The previous record of 3:36.03 had been set 22 years prior in Glasgow.

Gale now holds Canadian indoor records at 200 and 400 metres as well as the relay.

Closer to home, the outdoor season was kicking into full swing with a trio of Lions in action for their respective NCAA schools.

Competing at a dual meet in Mobile, Alabama, Tommy Nedow took top spot in the shot put, discus, and hammer throw. The Southeastern Louisiana student won his speciality, the discus, by an impressive five metres as his best throw on the day measured out at 52.35 metres. His winning throws in the shot put and hammer throw measured 16.39 and 51.41 metres respectively.

On home turf in Tempe, Arizona State University runner Keira Christie Galloway placed fifth in the 100 metre hurdles at the Baldy Castillo Invitational. The 22 year old’s time of 13.43 seconds currently ranks as the fourth fastest in the PAC-12 conference.

In Houston, Sharelle Samuel opened her season with victory at the Houston Spring Break Invitational. The Harvard senior took top spot in the 400 metre hurdles with a time of 1:01.64 – nearly three seconds clear of second place.

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Bishop-Nriagu finishes fourth at Oregon Relays

by InternationallinkinbioUniversity

What was intended to be a fast race, with runners aiming for the Olympic standard of 1:59.50, quickly turned into a tactical effort Saturday in the 800 metres at the Oregon Relays Grand Prix Event. It wasn’t the race Melissa Bishop-Nriagu was hoping for, but what she got was a fourth place finish, three tenths behind 2019 world silver medalist Raevyn Rogers, in two minutes and 4.18 seconds. With the mercury hovering around 14 degrees celsius and the rain falling down on the brand new Hayward Field, the field was quite content to let the pace setter run away from as they hit the bell in 62.6 seconds. As the medalists began to pull slightly ahead of Bishop-Nriagu in the final 200 metres, the Canadian record holder was not able to match their surge.

“I’m fuming after that display of a race,” she posted to Instagram afterwards. Her takeaway from Saturday’s effort boiled down to one word – trust. “I could list a handful of thing that I trust in this sport and at the top of the list is me. I have to trust me.”

At the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa it was a mixed bag for the brothers Tommy and Tim Nedow. Tommy, the younger of the two competed, recorded a seasonal best in the discus by hurling  the two kilogram platter out to 51.06 metres – just missing out on the final by one spot.  However, the shot put was not as kind to either of the Nedow men as they each failed to record a mark – Tommy in Friday’s university section and Tim in Saturday’s invitational section.

Elsewhere, sprint hurdler Keira Christie-Galloway placed fourth at a race in Phoenix, Arizona while Stephen Evans finished fifth in Atlanta. Christie-Galloway, a junior at Arizona State University, stopped the clock at 13.86 seconds in her first race back from injury while Evans clocked in at one minute and 52.48 seconds for 800 metres.

Farah Jacques OLY 4x1 heats2

Jacques named to World Relays 4×100 metre team

by Internationallinkinbio

Among the 24 athletes named to represent Canada at next month’s World Relays event in Chorzow, Poland was the familiar Farah Jacques. The 31-year old Jacques has been a mainstay in the relay program over the past five years. The event at Silesian Stadium May 1st and 2nd will mark the third straight appearance at the global relay championship for Jacques, who ran lead off for the 4×100 metre relay team at the 2017 event in Nassau, Bahamas and 2019 event in Yokohama, Japan. Jacques and the rest of Team Canada will prepare for the World Relays with a training camp on the campus of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge before travelling to Europe.

Coach Glenroy Gilbert will serve as head coach for Canada at the World Relays. Lion alums Alicia Brown (4x400m/Mixed 4x400m) and Shyvonne Roxborough (4x100m alternate) were also named to the team.

To read the full release from Athletics Canada, please click here.