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Michalczuk nets gold, silver and bronze at Games

Two Westlock-area track competitors returned home from the Alberta Summer Games in Leduc July 14-17 with some steel around their neck and provincial titles to their names.
Kieran Michalczuk won gold, silver and bronze medals at the Alberta Summer Games held in Leduc July 14-17.
Kieran Michalczuk won gold, silver and bronze medals at the Alberta Summer Games held in Leduc July 14-17.

Two Westlock-area track competitors returned home from the Alberta Summer Games in Leduc July 14-17 with some steel around their neck and provincial titles to their names.

Representing Zone 5 in the U15 boys category, Kieran Michalczuk came home from the Games with a gold medal in high jump, a bronze in 4x100m relay and a silver in medley relay.

Rees Victoor brought home a bronze medal in U15 girls medley relay, rounding Westlock’s medal count to four in the athletics category.

Zone 5 coach Cassie Saunders said that her 2016 team featured a large percentage of athlete’s from the Westlock area, with seven competing on the 40-person squad.

“I said to another coach that I almost want to start an agricultural games or something because these kids are so awesome,” said Saunders, who also coaches regularly with Capital City Track Club.

“They made up a percentage of my team and a pretty strong contingent.”

As with any competition, things didn’t go exactly as planned.

Michalczuk originally went to the games to compete in high jump, but Saunders felt that his extensive experience skiing and playing volleyball would equate with success in the relay.

The choice netted a podium result.

“I was nervous,” Michalczuk said.

“I wasn’t supposed to do the relay, but they told me at the last minute I was going to run in it. I was kind of prepared from the Alberta Winter Games.”

Like skiing, Michalczuk said both high jump and sprint have strong technical components, and practice in the month leading up to the competition was key.

“I learned a lot about warm-ups, like for measurements on the approach — just preparing for it,” he said.

Like her teammate, Victoor also competed in several events, placing 10th in long jump and fifth in triple jump.

She said that while preparation helped with the nervousness of competition, lots of credit for the wins goes to coach Saunders for assembling a speedy team.

“It was more about who were the fastest runners,” Victoor said.

“I wasn’t too nervous until the event actually got going. Then you would be warming up and seeing all of the others.”

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