Making the jump

Strait area student wins Cape Breton’s only gold medal

Evan MacNeil of Tamarac Education Centre in Port Hawkesbury competes in the boys junior high jump at the 2018 Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation track and field championships Saturday at the Cape Breton Health Recreation Complex.

A Cape Breton student captured a gold medal on the second and final day of competition at the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation track and field championships that wrapped up Saturday at the Cape Breton Health and Recreation Complex.

Adam Rose, a student at Port Hawkesbury’s Tamarac Education Centre, took first place in the junior boys’ discus with a toss of 32.47 metres, more than two metres further than his nearest competitor.

Rose, the only Cape Breton athlete to win a gold on Saturday, was one of more than 1,000 student athletes from 188 schools across the province to take part in the twoday, 15 event competition that kicked off Friday. The opening day featured gold medal performances by Whitney Pier Memorial’s Ella Bottomley in the junior girls’ 1,500-metre run and Baddeck Academy’s Maddie Campbell in the senior girls’ high jump.

On a rainy Saturday, Campbell earned her second medal of the event after finishing second in the senior girls’ shot put with a best throw of 10.18 metres. Truro’s Chelsea MacIsaac recorded a throw of 11.06 metres to win gold.

Bottomley also picked up her second medal of the competition with a third-place finish in the junior girls’ 3,000-metre race as she put up a time of 11:15.37, just 19 seconds behind Antigonish’s Anna Robinson.

Two other Cape Breton students also won medals on Saturday.

Daniel Mombourquette of East Richmond Education Centre ran a personal-best time of 10:35.03 in the junior boys’ 3,000-metre race to finish third behind Yale O’Connor of Halifax’s Armbrae Academy, who finished with a time of 10:22.64.

Wagmatcook’s Dante Isadore also copped a bronze medal with a third-place finish in the intermediate boys’ triple jump with a distance of 12.32 metres.

Meanwhile, the competition’s oldest record remains standing 62 years after it was set. Dave Lucas of Annapolis attained a distance of 7.15 metres in the senior boys’ long jump in 1956. The winner of event this year was Lorne MacLean of Truro’s Cobequid Education Centre, who jumped 6.47 metres.

For a list of Cape Breton athletes who finished in the top 10 in their events see page B5.

T.J. COLELLO/CAPE BRETON POST

T.J. COLELLO/CAPE BRETON POST Julia MacKinnon of Malcolm Munroe runs with the baton in the girls junior 4x100 relay.

T.J. COLELLO/CAPE BRETON POST Ella Bottomley of Whitney Pier Memorial runs in the junior girls 3,000metre race on Saturday . Bottomley captured a bronze medal in the race.

T.J. COLELLO/CAPE BRETON POST Maddie Campbell of Baddeck Academy gets ready to launch a shot put in the senior girls competition at the 2018 Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation track and field championships Saturday at the Cape Breton Health Recreation Complex. Campbell won a...

T.J. COLELLO/CAPE BRETON POST Noah Dunn from Dalbrae Academy competes in the senior boys discus. Dunn placed sixth in the event with a throw of 33.35 metres.

T.J. COLELLO/CAPE BRETON POST Robert Williamson of Avon View competes in the boys intermediate triple jump. Williamson won the gold with a jump of 12.68 metres.