NANAIMO — The Nanaimo Track and Field Club was well represented at the 47th annual Legion Nationals event in Calgary.
Eleven local athletes took part in Canada’s only national U16 and U18 competition between Friday, Aug. 8 and Tuesday, Aug. 12
NTFC head coach Wanda Urbanowicz said it was an amazing experience for the competitors.
“Tessa Bell and Rhys Beaudoin were both selected to Team BC. Tessa came sixth in the U18 heptathlon with a personal best in the 100m hurdles. Despite battling a minor hamstring injury, Rhys Beaudoin still came through in seventh place in the U18 2000m steeplechase.”
Bell had the highest finish and is already thinking about a return next year and finishing even higher.
She plans to come back to the event even stronger next year.
“Legions isn’t just about placement it’s an experience and an experience that I will never forget. This is my second year being on team BC and it is always so fun, on and off the track. One of my favourite parts of the trip is trading my team pins with other teams. It’s such a cool way to remember the people that I have met along the way.”
Urbanowicz confirmed 2025 was the largest contingent the NTFC has ever sent to Legions.
There were six U16 athletes and five in the U18 category.
“14 year old Skyla Webber ran a personal best in the 200m hurdles and earned seventh place. She also came tenth in the 80m hurdles,” Urbznowicz said. “Megan James placed tenth in the U16 1500m steeplechase. Personal bests were achieved by Oliver Sinclair and Ryan Luch in the U16 1500m steeple for thirteenth and seventeenth place respectively. Carter Cunning ran a personal best in the U16 800m.”
The other U18 results were Ava Gauthier with a fourteenth place showing in the 2000m steeplechase, Gavin Esleyer earning fifteenth in the 400m and William Cram ending up twentieth in the 400m race.
Legion Nationals was the last major event of the track and field season and Urbaniwicz said 2025 was hugely successful as a whole.
“Over 30 athletes travelled to Vancouver to compete at Provincial Track and Field Championships in early July, the biggest group we’ve ever sent to that meet. The U16 and U18 age categories are thriving across BC. The 2025 BC Outdoor Track and Field Championships reached a historic high with a 30 percent increase in entries. This trend is also reflected in interest in our club here in Nanaimo.”
Coming up in October NTFC will be hosting the Arbutus Meadows XC Rumble on Oct. 4. The club will also be partnering with BC School Sports to host the 2025 BC Cross Country Championships.
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