Grade 9 runner wins senior girls’ cross country meet
Anieu Chan, 14, of Windsor, Ont., was called up to run the senior girls' race, and stunned the field by winning the individual title and helping her school win the team title
Photo by:
Maxine Gravina
One Canadian Grade 9 student is making an impressive debut in high school cross country in Ontario’s Windsor and Essex County region. Anieu Chan, a student at Vincent Massey Secondary School, has quickly become a rising star on the high school cross-country scene, despite having just started high school.
At the WECSSAA Region cross country championship held on Oct. 17, Chan put her talent on display by winning the senior girls’ 6K race in an astonishing 22 minutes. This achievement is remarkable given that she is only 14 and competing against runners two to four years older.
Only in Grade 9, Massey #Mustangs 14-year-old Anieu Chan runs away with senior girls' title at #WECSSAA @WECSSAA cross-country championships while Sandwich #Sabres take overall title. https://t.co/hP8U4LDar8 via @TheWindsorStar
— Jim Parker (@winstarparker) October 18, 2023
The Windsor Star reported that Chan was promoted to the senior girls’ cross-country team due to a lack of runners to form a novice team for Grade 9 girls. This decision proved brilliant, as Chan played a pivotal role in helping her Massey Mustangs team secure the regional title while claiming first place for herself. This victory not only highlighted her individual prowess but also ensured her team’s qualification for the Southwestern Ontario XC Championships (SWOSSAA) Cross-Country championship on Oct. 24, which will take place on the same course at Malden Park in Windsor.
If Chan wins again at SWOSSAA next week, she will earn a spot at the Ontario High School XC Championships (OFSAA) in Toronto on Nov. 4. There, she will have the opportunity to compete against the top Grade 11 and 12 high school runners in the province.
In an interview with the Windsor Star, Chan said she was shocked by her victory, as she did not think she would win, and was pleasantly surprised when she broke the tape.
Medal alert!!! Anieu Chan wins the AO Cross Country gold medal in the U 14 Girls race. pic.twitter.com/tQLwvpUVVQ
— Windsor Legion T&F (@windsorlegiontf) November 14, 2022
Chan’s seamless transition from middle-distance running in elementary school to excelling at longer distances is a testament to her potential. Over the summer, she ran a remarkable time of 2:12.36 for 800 metres, breaking both the provincial U14 and U15 records.
With her impressive debut season, Chan is undoubtedly a high school athlete to watch in the years to come.
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