Twelve Vernon track athletes – 11 from the Vernon Amateur Athletic Association and one who competes for the Kamloops Track Club – took part in the B.C. Junior Development Championship meet in late July at Kelowna’s Apple Bowl, hosted by the Okanagan Athletics Club.
Nicholas Newman had great success in the 12-year-old boy division, earning three golds in shot put (8.51 metres), discus (23.67m) and hammer throw (22m).
Kian Zabihi, competing for Kamloops, matched Newman’s trifecta, winning three gold in the 13-year-old division. Zabihi won the discus (41.62m), shot put (14.74m) and hammer throw (53.04m).
Alena Collie won gold in javelin with a throw of 24.06m in the girls 12-year-old category. Collie finshed 10th in high jump.
Matthew Acob, 13-year-old boys, was happy to bring home two silver medals. He made a personal best in the 1,200m with a time of 3:55.49 and finished the 2,000m with a time of 7:23.88.
Zackary Barry landed on the podium with a third place finish in discus in the 12-year old-boy category, throwing 19.96m. Barry also finished sixth in high jump, 10th in long jump and competed in the 100m dash, too.
Jeffrey Curtis, 12-year-boy category, had a busy meet competing in six events. He was fourth in the 80m hurdles (17.36), fifth in the 200m hurdles (37.78), fifth in high jump, seventh in javelin, eighth in the 800m and 10th in the 200m dash.
In the 11-year-old boy category, Emerson Overend and Oliver Murray competed. Both boys did the 100m dash. Overend placed fourth in long jump (4.04m) and also did the 60m dash. Murray placed fifth in discus (19.09m), 14th in long jump, and also did the 200m dash.
Bayise Gibson, 12-year-old girls, competed in the 100m dash, finished 14th in long jump and finished 10th in javelin.
Maya Out, 13-year-old girls, competed in the 80m hurdles, 100m dash, and placed 10th in long jump.
Kayley Klimp did the 100m dash in the 13-year-old girls cateogry and finished 11th in the 800m run. Also representing VAAA at the meet was Charli Calvert (high jump).
