Shas Ti Kelly Road Secondary School sprinter Kasieobi Udumaga knew he was fast on his feet.
He has a fistful of gold medals at his Prince George home to prove it
The Grade 8 student has long history of winning 100-metre and 200m races that dates back four years when he first joined the Prince George Track and Field Club.
But until he competed in the BC Secondary School athletics meet this past weekend in Langley, he wasn’t sure where he stacked up against the best of his age group peers in a provincial-calibre meet.
Udumaga answered that question when he won gold in the 100m and 200m events while rewriting the provincial record book.
In the 100 on Friday (June 6), it came down a photo finish to determine Udumaga broke the tape first, winning by a three hundredths of a second over Cole Walters of St. George’s School.
Udumaga clocked 11.60, which bettered the provincial record 11.63 set in 2019 by Liam O’Donnell of Clayton Heights. Walters clocked 11.55 in the heats and he now owns the provincial record.
Then in the 200 final on Saturday, Udumaga and Walters each broke the provincial standard (23.86) set in 2019 by Jackson Bradley of R.A. McMath. Udumaga won gold in 23.54 and Walters took silver in 23.62.
“Kasi was a phenomenal athlete to watch and I personally really enjoy seeing him being pushed now by other athletes,” said Duchess Park coach Lauren Matheson, who provided coaching support for Udumaga at the Langley championships.
He has won (junior development) championships, which is a provincial meet for that age level, and he’s been gold medalist in basically every race he does. Now he’s getting pushed more in the high school competition and I think it’s bringing out a more competitive side to him and we can really see the potential he has.”
Only the top 25 Grade 8 athletes in each event were invited, based on their zone times this year.
“This was a very high-competition performance meet, I don’t think I’ve ever attended a high school provincials meet where so many provincial records were broken,” said Matheson. “I the 100m alone, every division except the senior category there were provincial records broken, not by one but by multiple athletes.”
Matheson remembers seeing Udumaga compete in his first BC Athletics Junior Development Championships in 2022 and she knew then he had the tools to become a track star.
“He’s always had a very good gift,” said Matheson. “He was injured for much of the season last year and then he showed up for provincial championships and won it, after taking over a month off. He’s very athletically gifted and he’s very intelligent as well. He knows everyone’s numbers and statistics and he can translate the feedback he gets well. If his coaches tell him to do something he listens and does exactly what he’s being told to, and that really translates well on the track.”
Udumaga is taking over the role as the fastest guy around from former Duchess Park sprinter Adam Sieben, who won the 100 and 200 senior boys provincial races last year and now competes for the University of Regina.
Udumaga is taking aim at the club provincial championships in Coquitlam, July 4-6, and will likely enter the Legion National Youth Championships set for Calgary, Aug. 8-10.
Duchess Park sprinter Sarah Aka had her moment in the spotlight in Langley when she won silver in the junior girls 80m hurdles. Aka finished in a personal-best 11.69, right on the heels of gold medalist Lea Vorster of R.E. Mountain (11.62), and also placed 15th in the 100m (12.94).
Aka won silver in the 14-15-year-old girls 80m hurdles last year at the Legion National meet.
Kavita Dhillon of Nechako Valley Secondary in Vanderhoof was also provincial record-breaker. Dhillon established a new standard in the Grade 8 girls 3,000m with a time of 10:34.17.
In other local results, Ava Matthews of D.P. Todd finished fifth in the junior girls pole vault. She cleared the bar at 2.55 metres. Amy Woods of Westsyde won the event (3.11 m).
Matthews has climbed the provincial rankings since pole vaulting event was resurrected locally two years ago by Quinn Matthews, a DP. Todd alumnus who now coaches at the PGTFC’s practices at Masich Place Stadium.
Kinonae Roberts of Duchess Park placed fifth in the senior girls 400m event. Roberts, a Grade 11 student, finished the final in 57.75, after posting a personal-best 57.59 in the heats. Chloe Symon of Lord Byng was the gold medalist (54.47).
Roberts was 12th in the 200m (26.27). Julissa Veenstra of North Surrey ran the Grade 8 girls 400m in 58.18, which broke Roberts’s provincial record (58.91) set in 2022.
Noah Gladdish, in his final high school meet before he heads off the college at Trinity Western University, finished ninth in the senior boys 800m. clocking 1:58.07. He also ran 4:11 in the 1,500 m event. Both were personal bests for the D.P. Todd student.
Kristian Richards of Prince George Secondary School ran 6:48 in the men’s two kilometre steeplechase to achieve the national standard for that event while finishing 18th. and finished 18th. He posted a time of 9:53 and finished 22nd in the 3,000 m.
Connor Garrison of College Heights was 16th in the 3,000m for Grade 8 boys, finishing in 10:43.
Clara Campbell, la D.P. Todd rugby player and wrestler, ran 2:41 in the junior girls 800m in her first provincial high school meet. She placed 31st.
Zavier Gladdish of D.P. Todd was 15th in the Grade 8 boys 800m (2:19)b and ended up 12th in the 1,500m race (10:39). Max Petersen of D.P. Todd finished 11th in the Grade 8 boys 200m race (25.15).
In other Duchess Park results, Jinichi Cronje ran a personal-best 45.46 in the junior boys 400m and placed 26th.
Nic Scarpino was 11th in the junior boys 100m hurdles (15.31) and 25th in the long jump (5.49m).
Hana Liston was 16th in the senior girls 100m hurdles (17.76) and 13th in the 400m hurdles (1:14.73).
Abdul Hien (senior boys) was injured competing in the 100m run and did not race in the 200m event.
Wasim Aka was 19th in the senior boys 400m while posting a PB 51.66, and placed 25th in the long jump (5.63m).
The meet drew 2,650 athletes, the largest of any high school track and field championship in Canada.
The Prince George club hosts its annual Spruce Capital meet Saturday, June 14 at Masich Place Stadium. Competition starts at 8 a.m.
