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North Shore masters athletes strike gold

North Shore athletes dodged thunderbolts and raced like lightning on their way to several podium finishes at the North American, Central American, and Caribbean World Masters Athletics Championships held recently in Toronto.
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Patty Szybunka takes flight on her way to gold in long jump in the age 60-64 category at the North American, Central American, and Caribbean World Masters Athletics Championships held recently in Toronto. photo supplied Caught in Action Sports Photography

North Shore athletes dodged thunderbolts and raced like lightning on their way to several podium finishes at the North American, Central American, and Caribbean World Masters Athletics Championships held recently in Toronto.

A flash thunderstorm interrupted the action and jumbled the order of events, but that didn’t stop age-group athletes Christa Bortignon, 82, Patty Szybunka, 61, Shauna Bunbury, 42, and Karin Adande, 33 from striking gold.

The event is held every two years as an opportunity for athletes over the age of 30 to compete against others in their age group from NACAC countries. This year the event saw very high attendance numbers as it was seen by many athletes as a perfect tune-up event prior to the World Masters Championships that will be held in the same venues next year.

Szybunka, competing in the age 60-64 group, won gold in long jump and triple jump (a meet record) and silver in the 100-m dash (a B.C. record of 14.08 seconds), 200 m, and 80-m hurdles. Bunbury claimed gold in the long jump and silver in the 4x100-m relay in the 40-44 group. Adande won gold in shot put and 4x100-m relay and bronze in the 100-m dash in the 30-34 age group.

Bortignon, who holds multiple age-group world records, won gold and set the championship records in the long jump and triple jump while earning silver in the 100-m and 200-m dashes in the 80-84 age group.