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Royal City runner tops Legion steeplechase

New West’s Katelyn Stewart-Barnett added to what has been a terrific summer with a gold-medal performance at the Legion national youth track and field championships in Cape Breton last week. The St.
Stewart Barnett
New Westminster's Katelyn Stewart-Barnett brought gold home for B.C. with her winning run last week in the 2000-metre steeplechase at the Legion Youth national track and field championships.

New West’s Katelyn Stewart-Barnett added to what has been a terrific summer with a gold-medal performance at the Legion national youth track and field championships in Cape Breton last week.

The St. Thomas More Collegiate student captured the under-18 girls 2000-metre steeplechase title at the annual meet, posting a winning time of 6:51.47. She was more than six-and-a-half seconds faster than her nearest rival, Jenna McFadyen of Saskatchewan.

Her time was 10 seconds back of fellow New West native and current Oregon State Beaver Grace Fetherstonhaugh’s meet mark of 6:41.46, set two years ago.

A member of the Royal City Track and Field Club, Stewart-Barnett also represented B.C. in the high jump and teamed up with three others, including New West Spartan Caleigh O’Flaherty, with B.C.’s u18 4x400m relay team that finished seventh overall.

Former Burnaby Striders’ runner Jaeland Cummings collected gold in both the u16 girls’ 100- and 200m dash events, winning with first with a time of 12.55 seconds. The Notre Dame Regional student picked up her second gold by finishing in 25.34. Cummings also collected a bronze in the 300m race.

New West native Michelle Dadson won silver in the u18 shotput, hitting a distance of 14.95m. An STM student-athlete, Dadson placed fifth in the discus.

Finishing third in the u18 girls’ javelin was Royal City’s Lauryn Savela. On her final throw, Savela recorded a distance of 42.95, half a metre shy of silver. Ella Foster rose to fifth spot in the u18 girls’ pole vault, clearing 3.20m.

O’Flaherty, meanwhile, posted the fourth-best total in the u18 girls’ heptathlon, with a point total of 4,669 over seven events, including first in the 800m, with a time of 2:25.03.

Royal City’s Levi Tuura placed sixth in the u16 boys’ high jump, reaching 1.71m.

In the u18 girls’ hammerthrow, Zuzanna Liniewski, representing the Royal City club, finished 10th overall with a distance of 41.98m.