Kelloway excels at rush jobs
Sprinter from Mount Pearl headed to Africa to compete in Francophone Games
Daniel Kelloway has already shown he can be quick when he finds himself in bit of a rush. He hopes he can do it again. The 23-year-old runner from Mount Pearl will travel to the west African country of Ivory Coast today as part of the Canadian team for the 2017 Jeux de la Francophonie (Francophone Games). And while not exactly a last-minute addition to Team Canada, Kelloway did get late notice — just before the Canadian track and field championships in Ottawa earlier this month — that he would be competing at these Games, which begin Friday in Abidjan, the largest city in Ivory Coast.
“Normally, I would have pretty much finished my track season at this point,” said Kelloway, who lives in British Columbia, where he attended Simon Fraser University (SFU) the last four years. “It was only when I was on my way to Ottawa that I found out all about this, so my season has been extended.
“It’s all come together quickly with paperwork to fill out and vaccinations to get and other things, but I think I’m ready to go.”
Kelloway, who will run 400 metres in Abidjan, had met Athletics Canada’s standard for inclusion on the Francophone Games team, but even though he had applied to go to the Ivory Coast “months ago”, only got his spot when another runner dropped out.
“At this point, I’m pretty adaptable. This shouldn’t mess things up to much or be too much of an issue,” said Kelloway of what amounts to a late call-up to the Canadian team.
“I had been preparing for Ottawa anyway and that should have me ready for this.”
In any case, Kelloway, who competed for the SFU Clan in the NCAA Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC), involving mainly schools in Washington and Oregon, has experienced success in events after being denied his normal preparation.
In 2016, Kelloway was required to go on a lengthy field trip as part of a course he was taking towards his
earth sciences degree at SFU. It happened just in advance of the GNAC championships in Oregon.
“Yes, that course lined up pretty horribly with the track season,” said Kelloway. “I ended up getting back the day before we left for the conference championships.
“I had been out if the field for two weeks and I hadn’t trained or anything and I went straight to Oregon.”
Nevertheless, Kelloway finished first in the 400 metres in those championships and helped the Clan 4x400 relay team to the top of the podium as well.
This year, Kelloway was second in the conference championship in the 400m, while SFU was third in the relay. It was part of a 2017 season that saw Kelloway register three first-place finishes (including one in the 200 metres) and three secondplace showings in individual events at GNAC meets.
At the Canadian championships in Ottawa racing under the banner of the Pearlgate Track and Field Club, Kelloway qualified for the finals in the 400 metres, finishing seventh in a time of 48.52 seconds.
“I was pleased with the placing — it was my best ever (at the nationals) — but not so much the time. It was a little slow for me,” said Kelloway, who ran a 47.74 in the 400m this year and has a personal best of 47.72, a Newfoundland and Labrador senior record.
He also holds the provincial standards in the 200m (22.13) and 100m (11:03).
Kelloway, who graduated with distinction this spring and was named to the GNAC all-academic team, is finished with his collegiate career. A year at Memorial University and his four at SFU means he has used up his varsity eligibility.
The 6-1, 165-pounder is considering returning to university for a masters degree, but plans at least a year “in the working world,” possibly in British Columbia.
Whatever happens, he has no plans to stop running.
“I’m going to try to do both. I think I will be working, but I don’t think I’m done with track. I’d like to see if I could get a job where accommodate both.
“Time will tell”
For now, he’s glad for the chance to visit Africa for the first time and compete for his country at the Francophone Games.
The ability to speak French is not a requirement for the Canadian team, which does not include athletes from Quebec and New Brunswick, who will their own have separate entries an Abidjan.
“I do have a bit of a French background,” said Kelloway, who took French immersion at O’donel High school. “But it’s a bit rusty. I’ll probably have to work on it on the plane going over.”