Niagara athletes performed admirably at the Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships held last week in Calgary at the Foothills Athletic Park.
The region was represented by 35 athletes and the contingent recorded its biggest medal haul yet on the national stage.
Multiple winners included: Thorold Elite Track Club’s Amairah Gayle, representing Team Ontario, who won double gold in the U18 girls high jump and long jump; Alan Tirop, representing Team Ontario, who won gold in the U16 boys 300 metres and silver in the 200 metres, won gold as part of Team Ontario’s U16 boys sprint medley relay and bronze with Team Ontario’s U18 boys 4×400-metre relay team; Thorold Elite’s Luis Corredor Reyes who won gold in the U16 boys 200 metres and bronze in the 100 metres, gold with Thorold Elite’s U16 boys 4×100-metre relay team and bronze with Thorold Elite’s U16 boys sprint medley relay team; Thorold Elite’s Tyrique Woodside who won gold in the U16 boys 100 metres and silver in the long jump, gold with Thorold Elite’s U16 boys 4×100-metre relay team and bronze with Thorold Elite’s U16 boys sprint medley relay team; Thorold Elite’s Nixson Scarlett whp won silver in the U16 boys 200-metre hurdles and gold with Thorold Elite’s U16 boys 4×100-metre relay team; Kyjiah Slowley of the Flying Angels Track and Field Academy who won silver in U18 girls triple jump and bronze in long jump; Thorold Elite’s Deagen Hallett, representing Team Ontario, who won bronze in the U16 boys 800 metres and gold as part of Team Ontario’s U16 boys sprint medley relay; and, Muscab Mohamed who won gold as part of Thorold Elite’s U16 boys 4×100-metre relay team and bronze with the club’s U16 boys sprint medley relay team.
Individual medal winners included: Athletics Niagara’s Adam Freure who won gold in the U18 boys decathlon; Thorold Elite’s Mico Penich who won silver in the U18 boys triple jump; Thorold Elite’s Ayla Laing who won silver in the U18 girls 3,000-metre racewalk; Thorold Elite’s Maeva Scipio who won bronze in the U18 girls 400-metre hurdles; and, and Colby Craig who won bronze as part of Thorold Elite’s U16 boys sprint medley relay team.
Almost 1,500 under-16 and under-18 athletes from across Canada took part in the national meet. This year’s event was the 47th organized by the Legion. The competition’s roots come from the Legion’s support and promotion of youth sports as a healthy activity to help children who had parents serving overseas with the Canadian Armed Forces. Eventually, the Legion created local, provincial, and national youth athletic programs culminating in the Legion nationals.
