Trinity Western teammates medal to open 2015 athletics competition
Athletics competition got off to a golden start for Team BC on opening day, Aug. 8, as 20-year-old Regan Yee took gold in the women’s 1500-m event. Trinity Western University teammate Adam Marshall stepped on the podium minutes later earning bronze in the men’s 1500-m.
“I’m the oldest age possible to be at the games so I feel like I’m one of the more experienced racers so that was definitely an advantage for me,” adds Yee, who is entering her third year at TWU this fall.
Yee crossed in 4:22.43 ahead of Manitoba’s Rebekah Sass (4:25.36) and Claire Sumner of Alberta
“I was definitely ready to go, maybe a bit too excited as I took it out really fast but the race felt good,” said veteran Yee, who has previously raced at the BC Summer games and Canada Games. “It was a beautiful day for it and I’m super proud to be representing Team BC so that always helps.”
Yee will also be competing in the steeple chase on Aug. 10, another specialized event in track, very different from the typical short distance track events spectators are used to focusing on.
“The 1500-m is a longer race so you have more time to think about what you are doing, to make moves and to counteract other people’s moves,” explains Yee, who recently returned from Gwangju, South Korea competing for Canada at the FISU World Universiade Games. “Today, though, I was just trying to take it out as fast as I could and run and try and maintain that pace for as long as I could.”
Teammate Marshall took a podium cue from Yee, crossing for bronze in 4:02.70. Saskatchewan’s Alex Eiswerth took gold in 4:00.69, while Manitoba’s Connor Boyd won silver in 4:01.89.
‘I feel good and I’m happy with it,” commented Marshall, a former BC Summer Games participant, after the race. “I wanted to come out and win but there wasn’t much else I could have done today. I just didn’t get out to a very good start but other than that it went about how I thought it would.”
It is a quick turnaround for Marshall who now has to turn his focus to the 800-m heats and qualifying for finals. Preparation approach can be a bit different.
“In the 800-m I have to prepare for heats which is different from the time finals of the 1500-m,” explains the 20-year-old Langley native. “I’m not really concerned about time – more worried about placing so I can get to the final.”
For both Yee and Marshall the team atmosphere has been a highlight of competing in athletics.
“Team atmosphere has been really cool,” highlighted Marshall. “Everyone know what everyone else has done in their individual events so we understand the hard work we have all put in.”
For Yee, although athletics has many individual sports, every time her team seems to help her pull
“It’s great being on a team like that,” says Yee. “I don’t know how it always comes about but there’s always an incredible sense of team spirit.”
Yee and Marshall are two of seven Trinity Western Spartans competing for Team BC in athletics, while two others are also competing for other provinces.