Double gold for Knelsen, Stanat
The two St. Thomas Legion athletes both win two events at Athletics Ontario Open championships
WINDSOR, Ont. - Hallee Knelsen and AJ Stanat are provincial double gold medalists.
The two 23-year old athletes with the St. Thomas Legion club (STL) are bringing home two gold medals each, from Athletics Ontario (AO) open and U20 provincials July 10-12 at the University of Windsor.
Knelsen from Malahide, won the open women's 800 metres by three seconds, crossing the finish line in two minutes and 7.43 seconds (2:07.43), on day three of the meet.
On day two, Knelsen took the 1500m in 4:24.29, edging Sydney Pattison (4:24.61).
Stanat repeats as provincial shot put champ, with a best throw of 17.61 metres, over two metres further than the rest of the field.
With a throw of 47.23m, Stanat took the discus title by almost four metres.
The STL veterans led a team of 10 athletes representing the club, including a third gold medalist.
Henry Scott from Aylmer, won the U20 men's 200 metres in 21.43 seconds Sunday, after finishing fourth in the 400 metre (48.24 sec.) on day two.
Mason Basson from Sparta, nabbed a silver medal in open men's 800m (1:51.66) and placed fourth in the 1500m (3:55.55).
The STL open women's 4x400-metre relay team with Knelsen and three U20 runners, Alicia Weaver, Kayla Zeliba and Brianna Scott, who just finished Grade nine, placed third.
The STL U20 women's 4x100-metre relay team of Weaver, Zelibka, Scott and Danica Cober, was fifth (49.57 sec.).
Andrew Monteith from St, Thomas, was eighth, in the open men's 800m (2:01.24).
In U20 women's 400m qualifying, Zelibka was 29th (1:00.14), Weaver, 36th (1:00.55) and Scott, 44th (1:02.83).
Cober finished 12th in the U20 women's 100-metre hurdles (15.25 sec.)
In the U20 women's 200m, Alicia Weaver placed 31st (26.15 sec.), Cober, 39th (26.50 sec.) and Scott, 54th (27.29 sec.)
Tristan Spaulding from St. Thomas, placed ninth in U20 men's long jump (5.87m) and 51st (11.78 sec.), in the 100m dash and 52nd in the 200m (23.69 sec.).
Ryan Johnson and Kirk Hallman, both from Thorndale, are part of London-Western's 4x800-metre U20 men's relay team that set a Canadian record, winning in 7:40.12.
Anij Sparenberg from St. Thomas, added a bronze medal in open women's discus (34.55m), after a silver medal in shot put (12.52m) on day one.
Matthew Piekny, from St. Thomas took silver in open men's long jump (6.70m).
Brianna Rand of Dorchester took silver in open women's triple jump (11.86m) on Friday.
Hallman placed 26th (51.02 sec.) and Johnson, 34th (51.78 sec.), in the U20 men's 400m.
Ethan Atkinson, from St. Thomas, was fourth in U20 men's pole vault (4.20m).
Kirk Hallman of Thorndale, was fourth im open's 800m (1:5434).
Vincent Moore from St. Thomas, finished fifth in the open men's 800m (1:56.94) and 17th in the 400m (51.44 sec.)
Andrew Urquhart from Thorndale, fouled out of open men's shot put and discus.