Hundreds of student athletes from around the province threw themselves into competition at the BC School Sports Track & Field Provincial Championships in Langley this week.
Running from Thursday, June 9 to Saturday, June 11 at McLeod Athletic Park, the three-day event saw high school athletes compete across dozens of events, including running, steeplechase, relay, pole vaulting, javelin, high jump, shot put, and hurdles.
The events haven’t been held since 2019, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Friday, two Langley students expected to stand together on the podium were the first- and second-place winners in junior men’s pole vault.
But they were still waiting as of mid-day to find out which of them would be first, and which second.
Griffin Wallan and Joel Russell, both Grade 10 students at Walnut Grove Secondary, have been pole vaulting for a year. Both thought it would be fun to give it a try when they saw their school was offering it.
On Thursday morning, they were each attempting a personal best after taking the top two spots in their age group.
The final decision would come down to the judges counting up which of them had more faults, they explained.
“We’re always joking about Gators competing against each other at the end,” Joel said.
Both said it felt good to achieve that.
The students were getting some on-field coaching from Giovanni Hernandez, a TWU Spartans alumni who was helping at the games.
“Amazing, they have an amazing potential,” he said of the young Gator athletes.
As of early Thursday afternoon, Surrey Christian was leading the men’s standings, with Langley Fine Arts in fourth an d Walnut Grove, Langley Fundamental, and South Delta tied for sixth.
On the women’s side, Saint Thomas Aquinas led the standings, Walnut Grove was in third, and R.E. Mountain was tied for sixth with Canyon Falls Middle.
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Have a story tip? Email: matthew.claxton@langleyadvancetimes.com
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