One of Hazelton’s own will be competing in the world junior championships after beating out 16 other competitiors at a provincial race over the weekend.
Local track and field star Regan Yee defended her 2013 BC Junior title, posting a personal best of 6:38 in the 2,000-metre steeplechase championship in Quebec last Friday.
The win earns her a spot on the Canadian team that will compete at the International Association of Athletics Federation world junior championships in Eugene, Oregon later this month.
Yee will be running the 3,000-metre steeplechase, 1,000 metres more than she is used to.
She was the only racer from the Bulkley Valley who qualified for the BC Junior team after running the 2,000-metre steeplechase in 6:57, beating qualifying time of 7:03.
“There are a lot of good athletes [in the Bulkley Valley] who could be running track,” said Yee. “Our club is growing and there are a lot of new athletes. But it feels good to be representing my area.”
While Yee will be racing on a larger, international stage, she is no stranger to competition.
“I love competing, I love being good at it,” said Yee. “I love the opportunities [running] brings. You get to be on teams and you get to travel places and you get to train with other people — it’s a sense of teamwork.”
She has already raced in six other competitions in San Francisco, Oregon and Vancouver so far this summer.
Yee’s love of running and competitive spirit started when she joined the track and field team in elementary school. But it wasn’t until she made the BC Summer Games in Grade 9 that she began to diversify her running skills.
“I went to the B.C. Summer Games and it was the best experience of my life,” she said.
“After that I tried cross country at our school every year and joined the track and field club and I just went from there.”
Yee’s former coach Neal Currie, who coached her for four years, described her as a fast, efficient runner.
“She kept getting better, started running faster and moving up in placing,” said Currie.
“Her finishing kick is very strong, if she’s with a group at the end of a race, she’s usually going to win.”
While running is a huge part of her life, the soon-to-be 19-year-old is looking to the future and potential careers after finishing her first year at Trinity Western University.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to switch my major or change schools and go to a different university,” said the engineering major.
The Hazelton Secondary School grad received a track scholarship to TWU and is entering her second year.
The world junior championships run from July 22-27.