Raquel Tjernagel 12th in World and New BC Record Holder!

Tjernagel set a new BC record in the 200m at the World Junior Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon yesterday. Her first run of the day resulted in a 3rd place finish in her heat and an automatic qualification to the semi-finals. Tjernagel's time was 23.75 which smashed her own personal best of 24.21 and also earned her the BC Youth record. The old record was fourteen years old and held by Krysha Bailey of the Cheetahs.

Tjernagel narrowly missed the World Championships final by .27 of a second and finished 12th in the world. The World Junior Track and Field Championships includes 212 competing countries and all athletes nineteen and under are eligible to compete. Due to Tjernagel's age, she will be able to compete again at the World Juniors in two years time.

Congratulations Raquel!

BC JD Championships - 10/11 Year Old Boys Discus

Please note that due to the schedule change for the 10 and 11 year-old boys discus (see post below), if parents now wish to register for the event, we have been advised there will be no late entry fee for the event.

Cheetahs Win Nine Medals at Provincial Championships

The Coquitlam Cheetahs Track and Field Team were led by Raquel Tjernagel, Shania Payne, and Nathan George who were double medalists at the Provincial Track and Field Championships. Tjernagel won both the youth 100m and 400m and will be competing at the World Junior Track and Field Championships July 23-27 in Eugene, Oregon. Despite being two years younger than most of her competitors at the Canadian Junior Championships in Montreal, Tjernagel won the 200m, earning her place on the Canadian Team. Team Canada’s results can be followed here.

Shania Payne overcame early season injuries to also earn a gold medal in the 100m and a silver medal in the 200m with a seasonal best time.

Nathan George continued his preparation for the NACAC Championships, which will be taking place August 8-10 in Kamloops by winning the 200m and running a personal best in 100m to claim the bronze medal.

Other Cheetahs earning medals were Nick Ayin in the Open 200m in a personal best time; Adeyemi Taylor-Lewis in the Junior 100m (personal best time) and Christine Lowe finishing second in the Open 400m hurdles.

The complete meet results can be found here.

BC JD Championships Schedule Change

We received email from the hosting club...

Due to facility reconstruction, the 10 boys and 11 boys discus, scheduled for Friday July 25th at South Surrey track, has been changed and moved to Sunday July 27. The new times are:

• 10 Boys 1:00 PM, Sunday July 27, at Bear Creek Park 
• 11 Boys 2:00 Pm Sunday July 27, at Bear Creek Park 

All track events will check in at the marshaling tent, and be walked to their start line. Field athletes will check in directly at their event.

There will be podium awards presentations for the top 8 in each event/age category. Approximate times for the awards will be:

• Friday, July 25, 8:00 PM 
• Saturday, July 26, 11:45 am and 4:30 PM 
• Sunday, July 27, 12:15 pm and 2:30 PM 

WC Photography will be on site throughout the meet, taking action or posed photographs for purchase. They will sell photos or digital images. Commemorative T-shirts will be sold at the Championships. They feature a design created especially for this event. Club operated Concession will be available during the competition. Friday night will be drinks and light snacks, Saturday and Sunday will feature a full concession.

Slaymaker and Noble win Provincial Pentathlon Titles

Alanna Noble and Cameron Slaymaker put together outstanding performances in the 5-event Provincial Pentathlon Championships which were held in Maple Ridge on June 21. Alanna is the Provincial Champion for 10-year old girls and Cameron is the Provincial Champion for 11-year old boys. Liepa Bajarunas won the bronze medal in the 10-year old girls section to raise the Cheetah's medal total to three. Congratulations to all athletes who competed at the Provincial Championships.

Boys 9 Year Old Pentathlon 
Lukas Gaertner, 6th, 1186 points
Graham Eder, 11th, 852 points

Girls 10 Year Old Pentathlon
Alanna Noble, 1st, 1911 points
Liepa Bajarunas, 3rd, 1456 points

Girls 11 Year Old Pentathlon
Rhianne Eder, 5th, 1678 points

Boys 11 Year Old Pentathlon 
Cameron Slaymaker, 1st, 2436 points
Kieran Sheriff, 15th, 1162 points

Girls 12 Year Old Pentathlon 
Georgia Hamnett, 9th, 1683 points

Boys 12 Year Old Pentathlon 
Liam Espedido, 9th, 1827 points

Signup Deadline for BCJD Championships is July 17, 6:30pm

Sign-up sheets for the BC Junior Development Championships on July 25-27th (hosted by Universal Athletics) are posted in the equipment shed. Entry deadline is Thursday, July 17th at 6:30pm.

Information about the meet can be found in the Universal Athletics website and information package.

Please note that:

1.  This meet is occurring at two locations: July 25th at South Surrey Athletic Park, and July 26th and 27th at Bear Creek Park.
2. Parent volunteers are required for this meet. Steve Boylan will be organizing these volunteers.

Christine Lowe Wins Bronze Medal at Canadian Championships

Christine Lowe races to bronze medal

George and Ayesu-Attah speed down backstretch of the 400m

Linde (lane 4) and George (Lane 1), Golden Ears Classic, 2006

Linde powers through the corner of the 200m

Christine Lowe raced to a bronze medal at the National Championships this past weekend in Moncton, New Brunswick. She entered the meet ranked 5th in Canada. Lowe continues to lead the Cheetahs with consistent strong performances at championship competitions. She is looking forward to reclaiming her provincial title in Kamloops, July 11-13, after being unable to finish last year's event due to injury.

Nathan George and Benjamin Ayesu-Attah continued their outstanding seasons by racing to a fourth and fifth place in the 400m. Running the final from the unenviable lanes 7 and 8, George and Ayesu-Attah ran brilliantly, both clocking a time of 46.69. Our two Cheetahs are now the first alternates for the Commonwealth Games which take place in Glasgow, Scotland on July 23-August 3.

Our final athlete to compete was James Linde in the 200m. Competing in his first Senior Nationals, Linde missed qualifying for the final of the 200m by one/hundredth of a second and finished 9th in 21.33.

All three of our men are eligible athletes for the NACAC (North America Central America and Caribbean Track and Field Championships) and are waiting for the official announcement for the naming of the NACAC Canadian Team which will be competing in Kamloops, August 8-10. There are 25 competing countries which include the USA, Jamaica, Mexico, Barbados and the Dominican Republic.

[Update July 4: All three men were selected for NACAC.]