As the BC Championships draw closer, the final qualifying spots are being claimed by athletes across the province. As the island gears up to host all the qualifiers at this year's provincial championships in Nanaimo, athletes from all across the island put everything on the line to see who would get to compete at the championships held right at home. While there were many outstanding performers last week, here are a few of the head-turning performances seen last week.
The sprinters got the meet off to a flying start. In the Senior Girls 400m Dash, all three medallists dipped under the 60-second mark. Taking home the gold was Maya Vizina with a time of 57.34. Haley Martin just out-dipped Skyler Lubben for the silver, with times of 59.94 and 59.99, respectively. Lubben also won the bronze in the 200m, while Martin took home another silver in the 400m hurdles.
Ludovica Avigni had a string of excellent performances over the weekend, winning three events. Avigni dominated the Senior Girls 100m, winning by 8 tenths of a second in 12.41 and won the 200m by over a second, running 25.37. She also won the long jump with a leap of 5.26m. Based on last year's results, her performances have her as a potential provincial medallist in all three events.
Kealayna Tupas-Singh sprinted to a 12.52 100m and a 25.65 200m on her way to claim three golds in the Junior Girls events. Just as Avigni did, she also took a gold in the long jump, tying for the gold with Tessa Bell. Both jumped 5.08m. In the Boys Sprints, Kolton Ivezich won the Senior Boys 200m and 400m, in 22.85 and 51.05, respectively.
The distance races also brought plenty of excitement to the track. Alexa Dow, who announced her verbal commitment to North Carolina State, was flying in the Senior Girls distance events. Dow won the 800m in 2:10, close to her personal best. She also won the 1500m in 4:31, and looks to be a favourite to be BC Champion in the two events in Nanaimo. On the boys side, Charlie Mlotshwa took the 1500m and 3000m double with times of 3:57 and 8:41. Based on last year's results, Mlotshwa is a favourite for the win in the 1500m.