The 40th edition of the Harry Jerome Track Classic provided an incredible opportunity for young athletes to compete alongside pros, and BC's high school athletes did not disappoint. The historic event, which took place in Langley this year, featured lots of National level races providing a rare opportunity for BC's high school athletes to toe the line at a World Athletics Continental Tour meet. Here are some of the outstanding performances by British Columbia talents.
Sprint Standouts
With the 100m held on the backstretch to allow for more favorable winds, BC's high school sprinters were flying. Ryan Lofstrom, Pishon Haughton, and Liam O'Donnell were 10th, 11th, and 12th, respectively. Lofstrom ran a time of 10.72, Haughton 10.80, and O'Donnell 10.88. Later on in the Men's 200m, Lofstrom, impressively, took 3rd with a time of 21.56, good enough to rank him first nationally in the event in the U18 division. On the women's side, Jordyn Reed and Makenna Self were 11th and 12th, respectively, with Reed running 12.12 and Self running 12.14w. These performances were excellent considering the tough field of pros, Olympians, and collegiate athletes in the mix.
Some of BC's top high school athletes also went head-to-head with some Senior National Team members in the mixed 4x400m relay at the Harry Jerome Track Classic - a truly amazing experience! Team Canada was looking to qualify their squad for the World Championships. 'Canada Red' ran a time of 3:15.20, a new Canadian Record, while 'Canada White' ran 3:16.10.The group from the Vancouver Thunderbirds, made up of recent high school graduates Mattias Eastman, Mitchell Klassen, Maya Baechler and Amelia Kristen, ran a time of 3:41.47!
Remarkable Middle Distance Performances
Middle distance is very strong in British Columbia, and that was on full display at the Jerome with multiple National and International heats in the 800m and 1500m. In the Women's 1500m National B section, Alexa Dow ran a quick 4:18.64 in a fast race that is surely good practice for the Commonwealth Youth Games. Her times ranks her first nationally in the U18 division of the 1500m and is a new U18 BC Provincial Record. In the Men's 1500m, Charlie Mlotshwa took second in the National D heat with a time of 3:58.94. In the 800m, Theo Serowka went sub-2 with a time of 1:59.73. Maya Baechler, the BC Senior Girls 800m champion, ran a 2:11.56 in a tough race among university athletes.
Terrific Field Performers
Returning Stars
It's always special to see such high-caliber performances right here at home, but it's extra special when the stars are local. Some of the stand-out performances included Camryn Rogers, Canadian Record Holder and R.A McMath Graduate, throwing a meet record 76.12m in the Women's Hammer Throw to take the win. Other BC athletes joined her in the throwing circle, including Kaila Butler who threw a mark of 62.92m, while Chanell Botsis threw a distance of 60.64m. In the men's hammer Adam Keenan won with a mark of 74.63m, followed by Rowan Hamilton with a distance of 73.79m!
In the Women's Steeplechase, NCAA All-American Ceili McCabe crossed the line ahead of fellow BC local Regan Yee after an exciting battle down the finish straight. Both competitors were under the meet record of 9:31.07 previously set by Yee.
Now the focus is on the Bell Canadian Track and Field Championships, with just under 2 weeks to go until Canada's best are back in BC to vie for national titles. We can't wait to see the outstanding performances on our home turf in Langley!