Elmira athletes broke three records at the Waterloo County track and field competition last week.
In the Midget boys’ division, Matt Bannon shattered records in the 1,500 and 3,000-metre races, both set last year by Preston High School’s Gavin Shields. Bannon shaved 6.55 seconds off the 1,500-metre race record with a time of 4:28.98 and ran the 3,000-metre race in 9:34.08, more than 18 second faster than the previous record.
The Grade 9 student also finished first in the midget boys’ 800-metre race and was the overall champion for his age division.
In the senior girls’ 400-metre hurdles, Madeline Charnuski broke her own record of 1:08.06 set at WCSSAA last year, shaving seven one-hundredths of a second off her time.
Charnuski also placed first in the 400-metre race and the 100-metre hurdles, winding up the overall champion in the senior girls’ division.
Sixteen athletes from Elmira were among the top four finishers in their events at WCSSAA, which means they qualified for this week’s Central Western Ontario meet.
This year’s track and field team is larger than usual; most years they have about 30, but this year the team had 45 competitors. Track and field always attracts more girls than boys, said coach Lisa Douglas, but this year a few more boys came out after the rugby team folded.
“We don’t usually have this many going [to CWOSSA],” she said. “We’re very pleased with the results this year.”
WCSSAA 1st place finishers
- Sab Huber, midget boys’ 200m
- Matt Bannon, midget boys’ 800m; midget boys’ 1,500m; midget boys’ 3,000m
- Tessa Charnuski, midget girls high jump
- Chadd Bauman, midget boys’ shot put
- Julia Frey, midget girls’ javelin
- Madeline Charnuski, senior girls’ 400m; senior girls’ 100m hurdles; senior girls’ 400m hurdles
- Cory Giroux, senior boys’ long jump
2nd place finishers
- Jasmine Wilson, junior girls’ javelin
- Cory Giroux, senior boys’ 100m
3rd place finishers
- Sab Huber, midget boys’ 100m
- Kirstin Martin, midget girls’ 200m
- Tessa Charnuski, midget girls’ 400m
- Melanie Schwartzentruber, midget girls’ javelin
- Jordan Moore, junior boys’ high jump
- Jasmine Wilson, junior girls’ discus
- Emeka Agada, senior boys’ high jump
- Scott Shea, senior boys’ long jump
- Lydia Frey, senior girls’ discus; senior girls’ javelin
4th place finishers
- Jeffrey Martin, junior boys’ 400m
Emeka Agada, senior boys’ 100m; senior boys’ 200m
Matt Horst, senior boys’ discus
