Reynolds secondary’s Chase Haagensen confirmed he is a promising talent in B.C.’s track scene as he broke a 46-year-old record in the 200m junior boys dash at the Vancouver Island Track and Field Championships in Port Alberni on Thursday.
Haagensen (inset photo) led a Reynolds team that won seven gold medals.
The Grade 10 Haagensen set the new Island record in the 200m with a time of 22.82, breaking Bruce Vye’s adjusted time of 22.94 (originally 22.7 but adjusted for electronic timing) which he set at the 1972 championships as a Lansdowne Junior High student. Haagensen also won gold in the 100m dash, with a time of 11.28 seconds, .01 faster than the winning time for the senior boys race. Reynolds’ Kadin Martin was sixth in the same race.
The future is bright for Haagensen, who leads the Reynolds team to the provincials in Langley from May 31 to June 2. He’s the defending junior boys provincial 100m sprint champion. Both of Haagensen’s 100m and 200m at the Island championships were actually faster than the winning times for the senior boys.
Reynolds Grade 12 Gabe Van Hezewijk won gold in the senior boys 1,500m and bronze in the 300m. Gabriele Landi won gold in the senior boys 400m hurdles. Michael Leung won gold in the senior boys shot put with a personal best throw of 13.38 meters with the 6kg shot and was fifth in discus. Senior Chris Hyggen took silver in the triple jump.
To cap a massive day for Reynolds, Grade 12 Kalum Delaney won the senior boys 2,000m steeplechase for the second straight year with a time of 6:12. Delaney, a middle-distance specialist, also won gold in the 3,000m.
Among the top achievers was Claremont’s Grade 11 athlete Rebecca Dutchak, who won gold in the senior women’s long jump, gold in the triple jump and silver in the 200m dash.
St. Margaret’s Colette Reimer, in Grade 11, out-maneuvered Oak Bay’s Sarah Bryan to win the girls 3,000m.
St. Michaels University student Nathan von Hagen won the senior boys triple jump with a total of 12.84m and took silver in the long jump.
St. Mikes Grade 10 Angelina Shandro was another a double-gold winner, taking the junior girls 200m and 400m sprints.