Grace Konrad wins first national title in 400m upset at Canadian Track and Field Championships
Konrad charged past the defending champ to take her first national title
Photo by:
Muad Issa (@muadems)
On Saturday in Langley, B.C., Alberta’s Grace Konrad of Edmonton upset the women’s 400m final at the Canadian Track and Field Championships, charging past defending national champion Aiyanna Stiverne of Québec and 2023 silver medallist Lauren Gale to take gold in 52.11. She earned the first national title of her career in the event, surprising fans and fellow athletes alike as she swept past the favourites to win.
Konrad won the Royal City Inferno earlier this year in 51.96, the third-best time in the country. She has improved her 400m time by nearly two seconds this season, and stormed ahead of close contenders in the final stretch of the 400m event.
Nicole Ostertag takes first heptathlon win
Heading into the final event of the women’s heptathlon, the 800m, Nicole Ostertag of the Saskatchewan Huskies held an 18-point lead on Canadian Olympian Georgia Ellenwood, the hometown favourite.
Ostertag finished within one one-hundredths of a second of Ellenwood in the 800m to equal her score of 909 points and secure her first Canadian multi-event title. Post-race, Ostertag shared that she was proud of her results after a tough couple of days. “I was lucky to have Georgia [Ellenwood] to compete against…in the end, it came down the 800m, and I just tried to be as tough as I could.” The win could elevate Ostertag in the world rankings, beginning to pave her way to a potential Paris 2024 Olympics.
Aaron Brown races to fifth national title in 100m sprint
Toronto’s Aaron Brown took the 100m win in 10.08, with Brendon Rodney racing to silver in 10.12. While Brown’s strength has consistently been demonstrated, notably absent was his competition, sprint phenom Andre De Grasse, who placed ninth in the semis, failing to secure a position in the final.
11x 100m Canadian Champion Aaron Brown 🇨🇦🥇
Brown wins a close 100m final with an official time of 10.08 💨
Brown remporte une finale serrée du 100 m avec un temps officiel de 10.08 💨
📸 by https://t.co/lEwkHjCEXa pic.twitter.com/Iqy96zXm9Z
— Athletics Canada (@AthleticsCanada) July 29, 2023
“I’ve had championships go down to the wire, and I was used to it, and it was the moment I lived for,” Brown said to media post-race, standing next to his young son, Kingsley. “Every win is sweet, but this one feels sweeter because the guys came to play this year. I knew I had to lock in, and they weren’t going to make it easy for me.”
For full results of the 2023 Canadian Track and Field Championships, check here.
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