This past weekend, the Saskatchewan High School Athletics Association held their Track and Field Championships at the Canada Games Center in Regina.
Sacred Heart High School athlete, Dami Ogunbiyi went into this meet having set a new midget boys 200 meter record at our East Central District Track meet as well as winning gold in the 100 meter race. Dami began the provincial meet by running a solid midget boys 100 meter heat and semifinal placing first in both races in a dominating fashion.
In the hundred meter final, Dami got off to a slow start but quickly caught his fellow competitors. By the 40 meter mark of the race it was evident that Dami was not going to be caught as he exhibited a higher gear then the rest of the field. At the finish, Dami was 8 meters ahead of his fellow competitors clocking a time of 11.41 seconds, a mere .05 off the provincial record. Â
Saturday produced a similarly impressive performance by Ogunbiyi. The morning began with the 4 x 100 relays. Ogunbiyi and the East Central relay team were in 6th place out of 8 teams when the baton was passed off to Dami. He quickly made up the necessary ground flying past each of the other teams anchor runners, who are often the fastest runners on each team. Ultimately the East Central team finished first in their heat.
In the final the East Central team ran a strong race but still trailed one team before Ogunbiyi took the baton. Ogunbiyi took off like a rocket regaining the lead by the 60 meter mark. At the finish line Ogunbiyi again had distanced himself from his fellow competitors coming in 6 meters ahead of the second place finisher.
The East Central team of Drew Kirk from Langenberg High, Gavin Oystrick from the Yorkton Regional High School, Khoule Desjarlais from Norquay School and Ogunbiyi definitely earned the rights to the gold medal.
Ogunbiyi’s other gold medal performance came in the 200 meter race. Dami ran a solid heat cruising to a first place finish shutting down full speed with 10 meters to go. The final offered a similar theme of dominance for Ogunbiyi. Distancing himself from the field at the turn, Ogunbiyi’s tremendous stride and power left his fellow competitors to fight it our for second place. Ogunbiyi’s gold medal time for the 200 was 23.65 close to a second faster then the silver medalist, Langenberg’s Drew Kirk. Â
Dami’s performance added to a rich history of track and field at Sacred Heart. A new SHSAA Champions banner will be raised commemorating a triple gold medal performance by Ogunbiyi in the Halodome at Sacred Heart.
Justine Zarowny provided a fourth medal for Sacred Heart Athletes competing with a strong and talented East Central 4 x 400 meter girls relay team. Running the third leg of the relay, Zarowny capped off a decorated career with a gutsy run gaining ground on teams that led before Zarowny received the baton. At the end of Zarowny’s leg, East Central was in the mix for a medal. Kelsey Haczkewicz of the YRHS ran the anchor leg turning in a great performance resulting in a celebration of a bronze medal by the team, which also consisted of Kellie Onda Inglis and Sarah Novakowski of the Yorkton Regional. Finshing a strong high school career with a bronze medal was excellent way to say goodbye to high school athletics.Â
