Four athletes from Maple Ridge have been selected to the regional team to compete in the Hershey North American Track and Field Championship.
The event is being held Aug. 2 at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. The Hershey Games is the culminating event for hundreds of thousands of kids in North America who participate in the Hershey Youth Track and Field program, the largest youth program of its kind in North America.
The four are outstanding athletes and will all rank among the best athletes at this North American Championship and be challenging for medals, according to their club coach, Andrew Lenton.
Competitors receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the prestigious event courtesy of Hershey.
Nicholas Aron, for 11- to 12-year-old boys, was selected for the 800m event and has a personal best time of 2:19, which is one of the fastest ever recorded for his age. He is the current B.C. Champion for his age at this event.
Eero Sorenson, 9- to 10-year-old boys, was selected for the softball throw and has a best of throw of 116:04.50 feet.
Chisom Obioha, for 11-to 12-year old girls, has been selected for the standing long jump, which she has a best of 2.35m. She has a best long jump performance of 5.28m, which is the furthest jump ever recorded for her age in B.C.
The only returning athlete is bronze medalist Jade Lenton, competing in the 400m event with a personal best time of 63.92 seconds. She recently captured the 600m gold medal at the B.C. Championships for her age with a time of 1:47.00, which ranks as the second fastest time ever recorded for an 11-year-old girl at that distance in B.C. She also won a silver medal at 200m with a time of 28.39 seconds.
