For twenty minutes, Emma Balazs and Regan Yee didn't know which one of them was a provincial champion.
In the 1,500-metre steeplechase, they had crossed the finish line side-by-side and no announcement was made as to who was the victor and who was second. The run and the agonizing wait that followed happened Saturday at the B.C. High School Track and Field Championships in Burnaby.
Only when the medals were handed out did Balazs know she had been golden. The Grade 11 student from Kelly Road secondary school was clocked at five minutes eight seconds flat, while Yee -- a Grade 11 athlete who was representing Hazelton secondary -- finished in 5:08.02, just two one-hundredths of a second slower.
To put that in context, a blink of an eye takes 10 times as long -- two-tenths of a second.
"I was really nervous," Balazs said of the wait time between the race and the confirmation of the results.
"We were talking [after the race] and people kept asking us, 'How did you do?' and we were like, 'We don't know -- nobody knows who won.' It was stressful."
Privately, Balazs thought she had edged Yee at the line but she wasn't sure. When she was perched on top of the medal podium, she was one happy 16-year-old.
"I was super excited," she said. "I didn't actually think I'd be able to get a gold in provincials. I was aiming for top three. It was just really surprising and exciting."
For Balazs, the golden result was extra special because of the history between herself and Yee. They have been trading victories for the past couple years, and at a qualifying meet for the 2011 youth nationals, Yee beat Balazs in the 2,000m steeplechase. Yee's win -- and a second-place finish by Tanya Humeniuk -- sent them to the national championship meet while Balazs, who finished third, was left off the B.C. team.
Balazs's triumph against Yee on Saturday gives her confidence for this year's national qualifying meet, July 27-29 in Richmond.
"Now I know I have a chance to do really well because I can beat all those people there -- that's good for me," Balazs said.
Nationals will be held Aug. 17-19 in Charlottetown, P.E.I. When Balazs competed at the 2010 Canadian championships, she was a silver-medalist in the 1,500m steeplechase.
At the high school provincials, Madelyn Brunt of Victoria's Oak Bay secondary finished third in the 1,500 steeple in a time of 5:16.55. Humeniuk, who attends Killarney secondary of Vancouver, was a distant eighth out of 21 runners. Her time was 5:34.83.
In the race, Balazs stayed right behind Yee the whole time. Yee still had the lead when they cleared the last steeple but Balazs had the better kick in the final 50m.
At provincials, Balazs also placed sixth out of 24 in the 3,000m run (10:17.46) and eighth out of 11 in the 1,500m run (4:43.68).
Vanderhoof's Alexander Nemethy also had a successful weekend at provincials. The Nechako Valley secondary school student earned a bronze medal in the 3,000m run for Grade 8 to 9 boys. He clocked in at 9:32.42.
