A handful of records fell at the 2014 Greater Victoria middle school track and field championships last week (June 4) at the University of Victoria.
Gordon Head middle school was at the forefront, as students set a new record in the Grade 6 boys 4x100-metre relay for the second consecutive year.
Gordon Head’s Noah Thompson, Alex Jones, Kevin Song and anchor Kadin Martin ran the 4x100-metre in 57.51 seconds, breaking the 57.94 set last year by Gordon Head’s Sean Ramsey, Kalub Laforet, Martin Williams and Luke de Greef.
The latter team – still racing together this year – looked to have the Grade 7 boys 4x100m relay race all sewn up, but a missed pass with the baton cost them. They had run a strong qualifier of 54 seconds, which would have earned them a new city record for Grade 7.
Another Gordon Head middle school record fell when Finn Battersby of North Saanich middle school set a Grade 8 record in the 2,000 metre, 6:38.4, two seconds better than Joel Taylor’s 2011 time of 6:40.4.
Angelina Shandro of St. Michaels University School broke the Grade 6 girls 400 metre record with a final time of 1:08.13, shaving nearly a second off the 2010 record set by Emma Ayers of Bayside middle school.
Amongst the many Grade 8 highlights was a pair of Colquitz middle school wins.
Ryan Strange and Corey Stachewsky dominated the middle and short track distances with two first place finishes each. Strange won the boys 800 metre and the 1,200 metre, while Stachewsky won the 100- and 200-metre sprints.
Also picking up double wins was Gabrielle Freer of SMUS. Freer, a future talent to watch, won the Grade 8 girls 100- and 200-metre sprints.
Full results are available at lowerislandschoolsports.ca.
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