If this weekend at the Golden Bear Open is any indication of what is in store leading into outdoor season come March, we are definitely in for a treat. Two big names on both the provincial and national stage, Pishon Haughton and Ryan Lofstrom, made the trip from British Columbia to Alberta to shake off the rust and run a few rounds of the 60m dash at the Butterdome, located at the University of Alberta.
Now before we talk about their respective races, let's dive into what happened during the 2023 track and field season and learn a bit more about these two.
Haughton
During his Grade 11 year of high school at Okanagan Mission Secondary, Haughton certainly left his mark. He won the Okanagan Zone Championships in both the 200m and 400m and repeated this at the BC High School Track and Field Championships, running 21.89 and 48.75 seconds, respectively, in the final of the Senior Boys division. Moving into the summer season he won the U18 division of the 200m and 400m at the BC Athletics Provincial Championships and went on to represent Team BC at the Canadian U20 Championships in Langley; it was at McLeod Stadium that he ran as part of Team BC's 4x100m relay that took home the national title. All this success led to Haugton earning a spot on the Canadian National Team that went onto don the maple leaf at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago.
Haughton ended the 2023 year ranked second in Canada in the U18 400m with a time of 48.03, sixth in the 200m with a time of 21.88 and sixth in the 100m with a time of 10.88 seconds.
Lofstrom
Representing Carihi Secondary during his Grade 10 year of high school, Lofstrom was on a mission to break records. Whether it was an Island Record or BC High School Meet Record, Lofstrom took it down. He took the crown in the Junior Boys Division of the BC High School Track and Field Championships in both the 100m and 200m with times of 11.06 seconds and 22.17 seconds, respectively. At the BC Athletics Provincial Championships he won the U18 100m dash in 10.74 seconds and placed second to Haughton in the 200m, clocking 22.11 seconds. Later in the season he represented Team BC at the Canadian U20 Championships placing fifth in the 100m and fourth in the 200m. Not to mention he was also part of the winning 4x100m team, alongside Haughton. Lofstrom also went onto represent Canada at the Commonwealth Youth Games where he placed fifth in the 100m with a time of 10.63 seconds and sixth in the 200m with a time of 21.99 seconds.
He ended the 2023 year ranked second in Canada in both the U18 100m and 200m, with times of 10.63 seconds and 21.56 seconds, respectively.
Together on the Track
Due to the one year age gap, Haughton and Lofstrom didn't go head-to-head at the 2023 BC High School Championships, but did meet a few times on the track, including the BC Athletics Provincial Championships, Canadian U20 Championships and Harry Jerome Invitational. However that will all change this year during the high school season, as both athletes will now compete in the Senior Boys Division at the 2024 BC High School Track and Field Championships, which is looking like it will be quite the showdown between the friends and teammates.
Now let's jump back to this past weekend. Both Haughton and Lofstrom competed in the 60m. In his preliminary race Lofstrom ran a quick 7.07 seconds, later dropping that time to 7.02 in the final. This currently ranks him first in Canada in the U18 age category. As for Haughton, he ran 7.12 seconds in his preliminary race and came back to drop a fast 6.89 seconds in the final. He also clocked 35.95 over 300m.
So, with the outdoor season on the horizon, fans can look forward to witnessing Haughton and Lofstrom's athletic excellence and the excitement they bring to the track. Stay tuned...