Double gold for Elliott
Kalista Elliott had an inkling she could do some damage at the Youth Nationals in Sydney, N.S. if everything fell into place.
The 14-year-old Niagara Falls resident came away with a gold medal in the under-16 triple jump as part of Team Ontario, a gold as a member of the medley relay team, in addition to a fourth in the long jump.
“I wanted to jump a personal best,” said Elliott, who is enrolled in Grade 9 at Saint Michael Catholic High School in Niagara Falls for the upcoming school year. “I knew if I jumped a personal best or close to it I had a good shot at winning gold in triple jump.”
Elliott’s gold-medal winning jump was 11.91 metres.
“In triple jump, I started out with a good first jump of 11.71 so it allowed me to relax and then I jumped 11.91 on my second jump,” she said. “ My goal after that was to try for 12. I didn’t end up jumping 12 but my 11.91 was far enough to win.”
Her effort in the long jump was also satisfying with a personal best leap of 5.31 metres.
“I was really happy with my fourth place knowing I had jumped a PB (personal best). It felt good and was different because my coach (Micheal Heron) was not there. It was a great experience.”
The relay medal was a bonus, Elliott felt.
“The Team Ontario coaches decided once we were there who would run and which leg. I was selected to anchor the 4 x 100 and run a 200-metre in the medley relay, which we won.
“I was really happy with the result of the medley since three of the four of us had run the 4 x 100 only an hour before. But the medley suites our abilities as a group better.”
Elliott, who does not belong to a track club, enjoyed competing at such a high level.
“The competition was a great learning experience. I was away from home and did not have my parents or coach with me. I am hoping that if in the future I have the opportunity to represent Team Ontario again or even Team Canada, I can use this experience to know that I can rely on my teammates and team coaches for support.”
Elliott, who turned to track when she was 13 after being a gymnast her whole life, also plays on the under-14 Jets travel soccer team and volleyball with the Niagara Rapids.
She quickly adapted to track and this past winter and broke the under-15 indoor Athletics Ontario triple jump record with a jump of 11.60 metres. She also won gold at the Canadian Hershey Indoor Championships in Montreal in the under-16 triple jump with a leap of 11.46 metres and earlier this summer broke the outdoor Athletics Ontario triple jump record for under 15 and under 16 with a leap of 12.06 metres.
BPSN’s coverage of the track and field season is made possible with the support of the Niagara Olympic Club (https://nocrunners.com).
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