While senior and junior athletes were competing at the provincial high school track and field championships in Nanaimo last week, Grade 8 athletes competed at an invitational meet at the same time.
Gavin Pringle was exceptional for Cowichan Secondary with two gold medals, taking first in the boys javelin and shot put events. Pringle threw the shot 12.52 metres, just seven centimetres shy of the provincial record, and his javelin throw of 41.72 metres missed the provincial mark by just 15 cm.
Also from Cowichan Secondary, Dredyn Fontana finished seventh in the boys 3000m and 14th in the 800m, Matthew Day was eighth in the boys high jump and 16th in the 3000m, and Jessica Castle was first in her heat and ninth overall in a tough girls 1500m field with a personal best time of 5:05.76.
“Our Grade 8s did an outstanding job,” coach Claire Whitney said.
Frances Kelsey sent one athlete to the Grade 8 invitational: Olivia Young, who finished 19th in the girls shot put.
