This weekend Athletics Ontario will be hosting the Ontario U20, Open, & Para Athletics Championships at the Toronto Track and Field Centre. A lack of track & field action due to the pandemic has athletes, coaches, and parents eager for our first outdoor championship of the season. With much anticipation for this weekend’s event, this article will be highlighting six notable athletes competing while also mentioning events to watch out for!
The first athlete is Brittany Crew, who will be competing in her main event of shot put this weekend. Brittany is a York University alumni, and competed in the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. Brittany’s outstanding performances include the 2017 Summer Universiade event where she won gold with a best throw of 18.34m. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, she won bronze with a best throw of 18.32m, and finally received a silver at the 2019 Pan Am Games with a throw of 17.70m. As a former Olympian, it will be a fantastic experience for young athletes to see Brittany compete in this weekend’s event.
The next athlete is Trinity Miller, who has shown exemplary skill for her age throughout her disciplines and has the results to reflect her skill. Miller, who attends Azusa Pacific University, is a three-time OFSAA champion. She will be competing this weekend in the 100m dash and 200m dash. In comparison to other athletes competing, Miller stands out as one of the youngest at only 19-years of age. Miller’s personal best in the 100m is an outstanding 11.93 seconds, and 200m personal best of 24.20 seconds. It will be exciting to watch the young Miller compete this weekend and see if she can possibly break some of her best times!
Emily Branderhorst is another name to watch out for this weekend, she will be competing in the women’s high jump. Emily who attends the University of Toronto, and is part of Saugeen Track and Field Club has excelled in her main event. She received a bronze at the 2017 Canadian Junior Championships, as well as the 2017 Canada Summer Games. Her personal best is a jump of 1.81m at the Windsor Team Challenge held in March. Logan Spicer is part of the Royal Athletics Club, and is an all-around athlete who will be present at the meet this weekend. Logan will be competing in the 100m, with his best time being 10.74 seconds which he set at the Johnny Loaring Classic in May 2022. He will also be competing in the 200m dash with a personal best of 22.00 seconds.
There are many Para athletes to watch out for this weekend, listed below will be two key athletes to keep an eye on. Being a para athlete takes an enormous amount of mental and physical skill. Brett Babcock and Hudson Booth are two para athletes who exemplify this and have the past performances to indicate they have the ability to shine come this weekend’s championship. Brett Babcock who is part of the Paralympics Committee will be competing in the 100m, 200m, and 400m dash wheelchair event. Brett took up para athletics after a spinal cord injury in 2012. In addition to being the flag bearer at the 2015 Parapan American Games in Toronto, Brett has also racked up a number of records and personal results. Brett received a silver in the Men’s T33-51 400m at the 2019 Track and Field Championships hosted by Athletics Canada. With his hard work and dedication it will truly be special to see Brett compete in his three events this weekend. Finally, Hudson Booth who is also part of the Paralympics Committee will be competing in the 100m, 200m, and 400m wheelchair dash. Hudson has won 11 OFSAA championship medals, setting the OFSAA 800m ambulatory race record for grade 9’s and 10’s.
In addition to these top athletes, here are some highly competitive events to watch out for this weekend. The men’s 100m dash final will be starting at 2:00pm on Saturday, June 11th and will feature a number of top performers such as Almond Small, who’s best time is 10.33 seconds. The U20 and Open 110m hurdle finals will be held on Saturday, June 11th, starting at 3:00pm, and will feature top performers Ryder King and Joey Daniels. The Open women’s high jump happening on Friday, June 10th at 5:30pm will feature a number of top athletes and is surely to make for a great event. Open women’s triple jump on Sunday June 12th at 1:00pm will feature top-seed Caroline Ehrhardt, with a personal best of 13.74m. Additionally every event will surely be exhilarating to watch, and we encourage people to come out and support the athletes this weekend!
To find out more about the event, including the Livestreaming link, Live Results, Final Schedule, Performance Lists, Technical information, and more, please visit: https://athleticsontario.ca/event/2022-ontario-u20-open-para-championships/
