Why Stop at One Gold?
This Heptathlon Champion Isn’t Finished Yet
Track and Field is a unique sport in the way that any kind of athlete can find their calling. There’s an event for everyone, whether it be a run, a jump, or a throw. For REM’s Madison Gordon, each discipline provides an opportunity to compete at the highest level. The grade 11 standout has committed herself to learning all there is to learn in the sport of track and field, making her one of the best high school athletes in BC.
This isn’t a new endeavour for Gordon, but rather one she’s been working on since before she entered high school. In grade eight she competed at the BC Multi-Event Championships, emerging with a silver medal in the Pentathlon. Unfortunately, the pandemic took out her Jr. years, but through the two years of uncertainty, she continued to train hard and challenge her own limits. Last weekend she was able to finally show not only herself, but all of BC what those two years of hard work did, by winning the gold medal at the BC High School Combined Events Championships. Not only did she outperform her competition by a total nearing 400 points, but out of the seven events, she won four of them and came second in two.
As she has so many events to master, Gordon works with several coaches who each play a vital role in her development. Leading them is Andrew Lenton, a former athlete himself as well as the former Commissioner of the BC High School Championships. Lenton has produced many top athletes in various event areas, with his last successful multi-event athlete being Emily Morley, who won the BC Combined Events Championship in 2018. Other coaches of Gordon include Chris Weiss, Kevin Harrison, Shane Wiebe, and Chris Boyko.
Going into the Provincial Championships this week Gordon will be a medal contender for a run, a jump, and a throw. Currently, she’s ranked first in the javelin with her throw of 35.89m, a distance over 2m farther than second-ranked. In the long jump, she’s tied for first with a jump of 5.04m, and in the hurdles, she’ll be going in with the third fastest time of 15.92 seconds. No doubt she’ll be looking for another three medals to add to her collection before the weekend is through.
Author: Jade Lenton
