With the National Youth Track and Field Championships taking place Aug. 10 to 12, Airdrie’s athletes are showing they can peak at the right time. Members of the Aces did their city proud at the Tri-Provinces Western Canadian Championships in Sherwood Park from July 27 to 29. Representing Team Alberta, Airdrie’s athletes boasted gold medals, personal bests, meet records and a stadium record. On the track, 17-year-old Airdrie sprinter Princess Roberts showed her recent hamstring strain isn’t slowing her down. Roberts took home three gold medals from Sherwood Park. She won the 400-metre (m) race with a meet record and personal-best time of 56.29 seconds, before dwarfing the competition in her best event – the 200 m – with a blistering time of 24.52 seconds. Roberts – who is ranked first in Canada for her age group in the 200 m – finished her meet with another gold in the 4x400 m relay. The 16-year-old sprinter’s performance sets her up for a positive national championship performance. “We’ll have to wait and see how it goes since [her] injury,” said Jan Lips, the sprints, hurdles and long jump coach for the Airdrie Aces. “She hasn’t progressed as much as I hoped because of the time she missed in training, but she’ll still be competing for a medal [at nationals].” Other Aces athletes who competed on the track included Kashay Kelsick, Jalen Greenidge and Sara Zinck. Kelsick broke the stadium and meet record in the 200-m hurdles with a lung-bursting time of 25.77 seconds, while Greenidge earned silver in the long jump with a distance of 6.51 m. Fifteen-year-old Zinck earned bronze medals for Team Alberta in the 200-m hurdles and the 300 m, as well as a gold medal in the sprint medley for her age group. “Her two (bronze) medal performances were both personal bests, so that’s good,” Lips said, adding all four athletes will compete at nationals. Away from the track, Airdrie’s throwers continued to show they are among the top of the crop in Western Canada. Parker Allen won gold for his age group in javelin, with a personal best of 50.0 m, and he earned silver in the hammer throw with a distance of 43.91 m. Jinaye Shomachuk opted out of participating with Team Alberta at Westerns, choosing instead to compete as an Aces athlete in the Sherwood Park Track Classic. She continued her dominant summer by winning gold medals in the hammer throw, shot put and discus throw events. According to Aces throws coach Rachel Andres, Shomachuk’s 52.4-m hammer throw distance broke a 15-year provincial record held by Heather Stacey. Shomachuk’s 37.90-m discus throw ranked her second in Canada for the U16 age group. She rounded off her meet with a 12.19-m shot put, earning her yet another gold medal. Airdronian Nic Wroe also threw well in Sherwood Park. He recorded a personal best in the five-kilogram hammer throw with a distance of 30.68 m and a fourth-place finish in shot put. Aces athletes will conclude their outdoor season at the National Youth Track and Field Championships in Brandon, Man., from Aug. 10 to 12. “It looks like they’re in good shape to perform well there,” Lips said.
