POINT GREY SECONDARY — The longest race of the track and field city championships last week was also the closest. Less than a quarter of a second separated Bridgett Baziw and Kendra Lewis in the bantam girls 3000-metre race, capping the three-kilometre foot race with a near photo finish.
For seven laps, Van Tech’s Lewis held the lead as her Lord Byng competitor stayed right on her heels, stride for stride. As hurdle events took place simultaneously in the outside lanes, the pair of Grade 8 girls held everyone’s attention as they circled the blue track and slowly counted down to the last lap. On the second turn of the final lap, 300 metres from the finish line, Baziw broke ahead and overtook Lewis.
Lewis attempted to regain the lead once, twice and then a third time as the runners chased down the final seconds of the endurance test.
On the straight stretch 20 metres from the end, Baziw broke for the line as her momentum angled her toward the outside of the track, which made it difficult for Lewis to pass. Baziw collapsed from the effort and adrenaline. Lewis, showing slightly pink cheeks, walked towards the sideline.
Baziw won in 11 minutes, 1.61 seconds. Lewis was right behind, coming second in 11:01.84.
“We just pushed and pushed each other,” the winner said afterwards. “It felt so good to win. I made my move on the turn and usually someone will try to overtake just once, maybe twice. Kendra kept at it.”
The runners are developing a healthy rivalry, only one year into their high school track careers. Baziw won gold in the bantam girls 800m (Lewis didn’t compete in the shorter distance) and came second behind Lewis in the 1500m. Lewis won in 5:05.97 after surprising Baziw by taking off on a powerful kick before the final turn.
Baziw finished fourth at the junior girls B.C. cross-country championships at Jericho Park in November. Lewis was fifth overall, just two seconds behind on a five-kilometre course.
Fast, faster, fastest, Fisher
Paul Fisher, a junior racer for the Tupper Tigers, won the aggregate prize and established himself as one of the fastest sprinters in the city.
He took gold in the 200m, 400m and 800m races. His winning times of 23.19 and 50.50 seconds were also good enough to win the senior boys 200m and 400m races, respectively. His 400m performance is the fastest recorded time in the past 10 years at any age group.
Fisher anchored the senior boys 4x400 relay for the Tigers and laid down an “epic,” in the words of Tupper coach Stan Jang, performance to come from behind and defeat Kitsilano in the final race of the championship at UBC May 12. Tupper trailed by roughly 10 metres when Fisher took the baton. They won by 0.04 seconds.
Aggregate winners
Killarney sprinter and hurdler Jesse Taylor won the bantam girls aggregate, two points ahead of Baziw. Dylan Uhrich, of Tupper, won the bantam boys aggregate title on the power of his wins in the 800m, 1500m and 3000m races. He just edged out Kitsilano’s Christian Petersen, also a friend and training partner.
In the juvenile divisions, Halle Petek of Tupper won the girls title, and Kitsilano’s Benjamin Ross took the boys.
Julie Kawai Herdman won the junior girls aggregate and also ran 12.61 in the 100m sprint, the only performance below 13 seconds. She also won the high jump and long jump.
Kitsilano’s Hayley Madden and Van Tech’s Annelise Lapointe tied for the senior girls aggregate with Point Grey’s Diana Voloshin coming in a close third.
The senior boys aggregate also ended in a tie with Thomas Nobbs of Point Grey locking down with Killarney’s Nikola Milutinovic
The B.C. high school track and field championships are scheduled June 2 to 4 in Nanaimo.
Twitter: @MHStewart
