Alyx Treasure returned to her family roots last weekend in Jamaica.
With her dad Steve and his Jamaican relatives on the sidelines, the 25-year-old from Prince George high jumped to the silver medal at the Jamaican International meet in Kingston.
Treasure and Leverne Spencer of Saint Lucia each jumped 1.90 metres but Spencer was awarded the gold medal based on the fact she cleared the bar with fewer attempts.
The Jamaica Invitational was a great experience,' said Treasure, in an email message to the Citizen. "The crowd was amazing and Jamaica will always be one of my first loves. Half my family is still on the island and my father was able to fly in for the meet so I had great support from them. On the rare occasion I get to have family support me at meets I cherish it," she said.
"The competition itself was a good stepping stone, I'm learning how to compete on the world stage consistently and taking every meet as a learning experience."
Treasure, a former Prince George Track and Field Club member who finished 17th at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, is preparing for her next meet, the Dutch Athletics Classic FBK Games in Hengelo, Netherlands, June 11.
"I'm still very fresh on the professional level and I understand the quality and consistency it takes to continually compete at this level," said Treasure. "I'm learning and that's what matters, my performances aren't where I want them yet but it is still early and I know the heights are coming."
Treasure is the process of moving from Manhattan, Kansas, where she attended the Kansas State University back to Canada to train at the Athletics Canada base in Toronto, where jumps coach Jeff Huntoon is based. Huntoon was the personal coach of Derek Drouin, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist and reigning world champion from Corunna, Ont. Treasure says she will continue to work with her college coach, Cliff Rovelto.
