PREECEVILLE — Amber Spray of Preeceville attended the Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships in Calgary, Aug. 8-10.
Spray competed in javelin, where she threw 39.22 metres to claim the U18 national bronze medal. This throw was almost four metres further than her personal best of 35.30 metres.
“Going into the weekend, I was just hoping for a new personal best. Getting a new personal best by that much and the bronze medal to top it off was more than I could ever have hoped for at the event, especially with it being a nationwide competition,” stated Spray. “I would like to thank the Preeceville Legion for their sponsorship to attend this event, my coaches who have helped me train and improve, and everyone who has helped support me in this journey.”
Approximately 1,000 athletes from across Canada competed at Foothills Athletic Park in numerous events. Royal Canadian Legion has sponsored this event for the last 47 years, and it’s often seen as a stepping stone to help athletes move toward their Olympic and Paralympic dreams.
“The legion has sponsored kids in each of their areas to come and attend this event,” said Kim Cousins, meet director of the U16 and U18 Youth Legion Nationals for track and field.
“We have kids that are just starting track and field, but we also have athletes that are going on to the international scale. It’s a really cool opportunity for people to come and explore and demonstrate their amazing passion for track and field.”
This is Canada’s only track and field championship for the under-16 and under-18 categories.
“Canada is so big, but they all share the passion for track and field. They share the passion of the legion, which is like community volunteerism, the possibility of the future and they come here and try to represent their province, but as well as their people, their families. It’s a really awesome experience,” said Cousins.
