While day 1 saw the first round of provincial championships won, it was also an important day for athletes looking to qualify for track finals that will take place over the next two days.
The 400m events look to be a highlight this year, with some very fast qualification times. In the Senior Girls event, the 6 of the 8 finalists clocked sub-60 second runs. Maiya Brunoro, who won two silver medals last year in the 400m and 400m hurdles events, was the fastest qualifier with a time of 57.25. Spencer Blomerus, last year's junior champion, was at the top of the timesheets for the Senior Boys 400m with a sub-50 49.94. The top 7 qualifiers are separated by only one second, so the final promises an exciting race.
The junior races are also shaping up to be exciting. The top Junior Girls 400m final qualifier was Madeline VanSpall, last year's bronze medallist, with a time of 58.47. In the Junior Boys event, Gavin Esleyer qualified in first with a time of 51.77.
In the grade 8 races, the top qualifiers for girls and boys were Sofia Zenone and Luc Trollip with times of 1:00 and 53.36, respectively.
We also got our first look at the flat distance events on day 1, with the 1500m heats for junior and senior competitors. The Junior Girls 1500m heats saw 5 competitors in the 5:00-5:01 range, hinting at a sub-5 performance in the final. Indie Cudmore, last year's grade 8 champion, qualified just ahead of her competitors. In the Junior Boys race, Henry Nestmann stormed to a 4:15 top qualifying time.
In the Senior Girls 1500m heats, 2023 Junior Girls 800m and 1500m champion Alexa Dow was the top qualifier with a time of 4:54. Last year's steeplechase and 3000m champion Yemane Mulugeta was the number one qualifier in the Senior Mens 1500m heats with a time of 4:04.
Finally, day 1 saw the first relay qualifications. In the 4x100m relays, the following teams were the top qualifiers in their respective categories:
Junior Girls: New Westminster Secondary
Junior Boys: St Thomas Moore Collegiate
Senior Girls: Dr Charles Best Secondary
Senior Boys: Alberni District Secondary
The relays are always some of the most exciting events of any championship, and we cannot wait to see the finals.
That wraps up day 1! Stay tuned for more coverage from Milesplit BC in the next two days of competition in Nanaimo.