Championship season will continue this weekend in Nanaimo with the BC Athletics Provincial Championship Jamboree!
This meet is an important one for young BC athletes, as it serves as the selection meet for the BC U20 team that will represent BC at the 2023 Bell Canadian Track and Field Championships at the end of the month, as well as serving as the selection meet for the BC U18 and BC 15Y/O team that will travel to the 2023 Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships taking place in August in Sherbrooke, QC. It is also the last chance for athletes to achieve the standards set by BC Athletics for these teams.
The Jamboree is also the last major championship event leading up to the Bell Canadian Track and Field Championships, so many athletes will be looking to tune up and get ready for the big event, hosted in-province in Langley this year.
With over 600 entries, there's lots to look forward to this weekend on the island. Here are just some of the athletes and events to watch.
Note to reader: When it is mentioned that an athlete has a BC Team standard, it is based on the most recent version of the Declared Athlete Tracking list provided by BC Athletics. Some athletes may have not yet declared and some results may not have yet been tracked by BCA. Please note also that selection is not guaranteed by meeting standards.
U16
In the sprints, Tason Tran is the top seed in the 100m and the second fastest seed in the 200m. It'll be a tight race between him and Nickolas Jang, the number one seed in the 200m. Both Tran and Jang have achieved BC Legion Championship Team standards this season. Tran has standard in the 100m and 200m, and Jang in the 200m, and both will also be after the long jump standard at the Jamboree. In the women's sprint, Victoria Hoffman is the favourite for BC Champion in both the 80m hurdles and the 300m hurdles as the top entry in both events.
Two U16 distance standouts will face off in Nanaimo. Maggie Epp, who currently has standard in the 800m, and Adrianna Butelaar, who has standard in the 800m as well as the 1200m, are both entered in the 1200m this weekend. Keep your eyes on the men's 800m, as a sub-2 minute run is within reach. Top entrant Arjun Sandhu enters with a time of 2:00.17.
Out in the field, Talia Phangura will compete in shot put, discus, and hammer, having already achieved standard in all 3 events. She is the top-ranked entrant in all 3 events. On the men's side, Gursher Gabri and Chase Longley will be the ones to watch as they compete in the hammer, shot put, and discus. Gabri has standard in the hammer and shot put, while Longley has standard in the hammer as well.