“I had a gut feeling I should run all three,” he said after winning the senior boys’ 1,500-metre event on Thursday morning at the University of Victoria’s Centennial Stadium.
The 18-year-old Mount Douglas student then went out and claimed the 800-metre title in the afternoon, a day after the Grade 12 middle-distance specialist won the 3,000 metres for a triple crown.
“That was the one I would have dropped,” the future UVic Vike said of the 3,000m.
Instead, thanks to pushes from Lehm Houston-Maguire of Claremont and Glenlyon Norfolk’s Ben Weir, Getty established a new meet record in the 3,000m with a time of 8:34.93. “My gut feeling was right.”
And so were all his performances as he added the 1,500m crown in 4:00.29 ahead of Weir (who will be his UVic teammate next year) in 4:00.33 and Liam Kennel of Oak Bay at 4:02.26.
“That was the goal coming in, winning the double,” said Getty. “I wasn’t sure how the 3K would go, so I thought I might as well try for all three.”
Getty was defeated at last week’s Lower Island championships by Weir in the 3,000 so that’s what left him second guessing.
“I’m very happy with [the performances] seeing as how I was still tired from that 3K. It was back and forth with me, Lehm and Ben all taking even portions of that [3,000m] race.”
Weir was happy with his results as well.
“[Wednesday] the lead changed a lot,” Weir said of the 3,000. “Today, Thomas went out strong and he kept the lead for most of it. I tried to catch him at the end, but it didn’t quite work out. He ran really well and deserved it.”
Weir nearly nudged Getty out in the last steps of the 1,500m.
“I’m pretty sure that was a personal best for me, so I can’t complain,” Weir said.
Getty won the 800m in 1:56.68 ahead of Kennel’s 1:58.07 and Dover Bay’s Thomas Oxland in third at 1:58.85.
Meanwhile, Saeed Shokoya of St. Michaels University School picked up right where he left off at Lower Islands last week, sweeping the prestigious 100- and 200-metre senior boys’ events. The speedster didn’t quite achieve his sub 11-second goal in the 100, but was close at 11.09 ahead of Austin Palou of Chemainus in 11.50 and Claremont’s Yushi Ezumi in 11.51.
“I think if I can come out and run properly, with the technical aspects of my race, I can come out aggressively and maybe upset at provincials,” Shokoya said of the B.C. championships in Langley, May 31-June 1.
In other outstanding performances Thursday, Agnes Esser of Frances Kelsey in Duncan broke a pair of meet records with a 13.55-metre throw in shot put and 49.75-metre toss in discus.
In other senior girls action, Nanaimo Christian’s Marita DeSchiffart claimed the 800m in 2:15.50 ahead of Miryam Bassett of Nanaimo District (2:16.17) and Wellington’s Jenaya Pynn (2:17.94). Bassett was also third in the 1,500m in 4:45.28 behind her sister Rebecca Bassett in 4:40.34 and Spectrum’s Brittany King (4:44.15). Chloe Hegland of Parkland claimed the 3,000m in 10:31.69 with Campbell River Christian’s Joanna Williams second in 10:39.94 and Erica DeSchiffart of Nanaimo Christian in 10:40.42.
