Tristan Coles making up for lost years

   COVID wiped out two seasons for seniors like Coles, Basson and Luna

  May 21, 2022

By Rob J. Ross 

LONDON, Ont. - Tristan Coles is trying to create four years of memories in one season.

The St. Joseph's Rams middle distance runner in his final year of high school, is on track to compete at OFSAA, the provincial championships, a goal since Grade nine in 2019.

That year Coles missed the season due to a concussion and then the COVID pandemic wiped out the track and field seasons in 2020 and 2021. Therefore this year will be Coles' only season for high school track.

"Taking it all in," said Coles, after winning the senior men's 3000 metres and helping St. Joe's win the open men's 4x400-metre relay race, at the WOSSAA championships, at Western University, May 20.

"My mom is really excited for me to have my first OFSAA experience in track," said Coles. "It was good in Grade nine to watch Aiden, but it's not the same as actually competing. I just want to get that experience for myself."

Aiden won a bronze medal in the novice men's 3000 metres in 2019. That fall, the brothers led St. Joe's to the junior men's team title at OFSAA cross country.

Coles still needs to be top four, at the upcoming OFSAA West regional meet, but he and brother Aiden, who won the senior men's 1500 metres and finished third in the 3000, have consistently put up times that should advance them to OFSAA.

Neither brother, nor London Central's Heath McAllister, their training partner at London-Western club, truly pushed themselves in the 3000, but Tristan did work on part of his race.

"My kick hasn't been what I wanted so far this season," Tristan said. "I wanted to work on my kick. I told them (Aiden, Heath) that at some point I'm going to try and make a move. We were alternating the lead every single lap and that was my lap to take the lead and I wanted to go for it. I pulled away in the last 200, but they didn't care if I did win."

The Coles joined forces with the Belanger twins, Dylen and Harrison, for the relay, won in three minutes and 29.21 seconds, almost eight seconds ahead of London Banting and the Parkside Stampeders.

"The relay was really smooth. We all had a really good lap. The wind slowed us down a little bit, but it was a good effort," Tristan said. "Dylen had a a good leg, against the WOSSAA champion (novice Francis Hinnah) in the 400. They had a good battle. Harrison had a good leg. I got the baton and made a move with 300 to go and then Aiden pulled away."

The Coles and McAllister train together and warm-up for races together, but that will likely change come OFSAA.

"I think we'll do our warm-up together and then zone out, each on our own," Tristan said. "When we get to OFSAA, we're not going to be talking about our plans with each other. It will be whoever has it, has it. We all want it as bad as the other."

No doubt an OFSAA medal would make up for lost time.
 

B for Basson

After not having a track and field season for two years due to the COVID pandemic, Grade 12 athletes are not taking this season for granted.

Mason Basson won both the senior men's 400 and 800 metre races, the same double the Parkside middle distance runner achieved at TVRA. However, the finishes closer

In the eight, Basson held off Parkside teammate Vincent Moore and Tom Boars, of London Lucas for the win, in 1:58.53.

"It was definitely a lot tighter. I went out a lot faster so I didn't feel I had as much of a kick," Basson said. "The wind definitely took a toll on me. It was so bad. It would have been nice for someone to take the wind from me for a little bit, but I knew I had enough in the tank to hold them off, even after leading the whole race. I thought I could do it and I wanted to test myself."

Basson took gold in the 400, finishing in 52.29 seconds, nearly a full second ahead of Moore.

Back in Grade nine at WOSSAA, Basson won the 800, along with high jump and was second in the 1500. This year, the focus is three laps over two races.

"Winning both of them gives me a lot more confidence going in to regionals," Basson said. "I'm very excited to challenge myself and see what times I could put up, with a lot of competition there."

More field for Luna

Jaydyn Luna is back this year but in different events than three years ago as a freshman.

The Thorndale resident who attends Medway high school, won senior women's shot put and placed fourth in javelin.

Luna took gold with a best toss of 10.19 metres, short of her PB of 10.34, but the only one in the competition to be over 10 metres and an improvement over her TVRA distance of 9.58m.

"I feel confident going in to OFSAA west, especially after last week. It was not what I should have been throwing, so I feel more confident having got the 10.19 this week," said Luna, who improved her technique. "Aggression and staying low for the transfer. Last week as soon as I landed and go to turn, I tended to stand up so I was losing half my power. I worked moreso on pushing, as well to follow through (on the put)."

Luna tossed the javelin 26.74 metres.

"It feels great (but) I wished I moved in hurdles," said Luna, who set a PB of 16 seconds flat in the prelims, the third fastest qualifying time. But a calf muscle injury prevented her from finishing the final.

In 2019, Luna was strictly competing in sprints and hurdles, although she has always been practising field events.

"I switched it up this year. I have shin splints really bad so I didn't want to do a bunch of track events, because it would have made them (shins) 10 times worse," Luna said. "I've been doing multis since Grade seven, so I've been training for all the events. In Grade nine, I wasn't as good at shot as I am now. I feel last year I got a lot better in it."

Luna won the U20 pentathlon this past April at the Ontario indoor combined events championships. It will be the heptathlon this summer.

Now Luna is eyeing a return to OFSAA, where in grade nine, she was part of Medway's novice women's relay team that won silver. She advanced to regionals in the 80-metre hurdles, 300-metre hurdles and the 200-metre dash.

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