Sophia Mahmoud's introduction to the high jump pit Sunday at the Spruce Capital track and field meet came with a soft landing
Not knocking down the bar was an apt reward for the 11-year-old Athletics North club member for trying something she's never done before. The real payoff came after she cleared 1.13 metres and was awarded another gold medal.
Mahmoud had already won the 11-12-year-old girls 60m hurdles and the 100m events and finished off the meet Sunday by capturing the 200m and long jump events.
From a young age Mahmoud showed quick feet and above-average ability on the soccer field and she continued to turn heads with her running speed in school track meets. Steph Gouin, her former teacher at College Heights elementary and coach of Athletics North convinced her to join the club this year.
"She runs like a gazelle, she's a natural-born athlete," said Gouin.
Mahmoud and 10-year-old Makenna Macwhinnie have become close buddies who push each other in practice and both dominated their respective age classes at the meet.
"I think it's a lot more fun to have somebody your age, she makes me laugh a lot," said Mahmoud. "She's really confident and that helps me a lot. She told me a lot today that helped. She told me to just close my eyes [before the race] and imagine myself crossing the finish line."
Now in her second season on the team, Macwhinnie set a personal best with a 1.10m leap while winning high jump. She also won the long jump, 60m hurdles, 100m, 200m and 600m events.
"I find it really fun, track just makes me happy," said Macwhinnie. "I think I just found my sport and I'm going to stick with it."
Lynden Zazelenchuk, another rookie high jumper, cleared 1.60m and finished second to Justin Stewart of Nisga'a' in the 16-17-year-old boys event, his first-ever high jump competition. Zazelenchuk, 15, specializes in distance running events but was fighting off the effects of a cold when he ran the 400m, 800m and 1,500m events on the weekend. Based on his results Sunday, the high jump is now part of his regular meet repertoire. But don't ask him to run the 100m.
"I never do sprints, I just don't feel it, I've never been that fast," said Zazelenchuk. "I've done road races all my life and I've done three triathlons."
Zazelenchuk is part of Athletics North but practices his distance running with the Prince George Track and Field Club. He won the 1,500 final, was fourth in the 400m and 800m events.
Lindsay King of PGTFC knocked two seconds off her best time in the 300m run and is now within striking range for a Legion national qualifying time. King clocked 43.64 seconds Saturday and needs to break 43.5 to qualify for the national meet in Langley in August.
After two seasons as a goalie for the Cariboo Cougars in the B.C.'s top midget hockey league, Jeremy Matte has decided to hung up his pads. At 17 he's aged out of the midget hockey ranks but still wants to keep up his track skills in hopes of landing a college scholarship. Given the choice between the two sports, for Matte, track trumps hockey.
"It would be hard to pick but I think I'm better at track and I don't have to rely on a team, I can do everything myself," said Matte, who ran a 52:45 time in the 400m, taking three seconds off his personal best. "I want to try to get on a university track team and work my way up that way."
Matte is a sprinter and won the senior boys 100m in 11.88 seconds, tying his PB. He also won 18-19-year-old boys 400m hurdles in a personal-best 58.83 and competed in the pole vault.
Leaping hurdles at galloping speed is not without risks, but the chances of injury are somewhat less less than the dangers posed by of a point-blank slap shot.
"It takes a lot of timing and a lot of training," he said. "I know if I hit the hurdle it's going to hurt for a bit and then it's going to get better. You hurt in one spot but in hockey you hurt everywhere."
The next meet on the schedule is the Jack Brow Invitational in Kelowna, June 27-20. Several Prince George athletes will also compete in the Legion national championships in Langley Aug. 15-17.
