Local results from the Junior Nationals Championships for track and field that took place July 8-10 in Winnipeg, MB. Competing at a university campus were the following athletes, from or around the Yorkton area: Avery Westberg (Saltcoats), Kyla Bassingthwaite (Saltcoats), Preston Liebrecht (Yorkton) and Stephanie Sawchuk.
They are also members of the Yorkton Legion Track club.
Westberg, who has spent the last several years earning almost every gold, silver or bronze medal possible on the high school circuit and having graduated from the Yorkton Regional High School, wasn't happy about her results from Winnipeg from mid-July.
"It wasn't as good as I expected," she said during a road trip over the weekend from Calgary. She placed 23rd overall in the women's 3000-metre category with a time of 11:36:90 and 25th overall in the women's 1500-metre with a time of 5:20:94.
"I took a couple of weeks off for grad," she said, adding that she didn't feel her best going into nationals. It was her first time advancing to nationals, she said. There was a lot of Saskatchewan representation at the Winnipeg track, she said, and added there wasn't "a lot on the line" for her.
Westberg's focus is now on the upcoming Western Canada Games. She said they will be held in early August in Kamloops, BC.
The Western Canada Summer Games were established in 1975 as a multi-sport event. They provide development opportunities for amateur athletes to help them advance their skills in a competitive but friendly environment. The Games will also provide exposure to talented athletes and act as a training ground for national and international level competitions.
"I'm looking forward to Westerns," she said, adding that her run at nationals was more a learning experience. Bassingthwaite finished the nationals with an 11th in women's hammer throw final (33.61 meters), 14th overall in women's javelin (29.96 meters),and 22nd overall in women's discus (28.30 meters), while Liebrecht placed 10th in men's high jump final (1.80 meters), 21st overall in men's 100m (11.50), and 21st overall in men's 200m (22.80). Stephanie Sawchuk had 19th overall in women's long jump (5.09 meters), 21st overall in women's triple jump (10.35 meters), and 24th overall in women's 100m (13.18).
