For the second year in a row, Cowichan Secondary’s Desirae Ridenour brought home two gold medals from the provincial high school track and field championships.
For more than one reason, however, this year’s senior girls 1500m and 3000m titles are a little different from last year’s.
Last year, Ridenour didn’t go into the meet with the goal of winning double gold. This time, that was definitely her aim.
“I just wanted to retain my titles from last year,” Ridenour said.
Also, last year’s wins were a lot more decisive than this year’s. In both races this time around, Ridenour edged George Elliot’s Taryn O’Neill at the line: by about half a second in the 1500m final and an even smaller margin in the 3000m.
“It was a lot different fom last year,” Ridenour acknowledged. ” There wasn’t as much competition this year. Last year, I won by a lot.”
O’Neill is ranked first among Canadian U18 athletes in the 3000m and third in the 1500m. Because distance running is a supplement to her main concentration, triathlon, Ridenour isn’t registered with BC Athletics and consequently not ranked nationally.
Ridenour ran behind O’Neill for most of the 1500m, waiting until the last 100 metres to pull ahead. The 3000m was similar as another athlete led most of the way, with O’Neill in second. Ridenour got ahead of both of them down the stretch and finally opened up some room over the last 100 metres.
It’s not like Ridenour to wait until the end to move in front of the pack, and she admitted she was surprised she could pull it off.
“I’ve never done that in a race,” she said. “I usually try to pull ahead around 300 metres and get a gap. This time I had to leave it to the sprint.”
The triathlon season begins later this month with the national championships in Ottawa. Ridenour is hoping to retain her national junior title, but will also be competing against U23 and elite athletes for a spot in the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Although that’s not her primary goal, it’s not out of the question either.
“It’s a possibility,” Ridenour allowed. “I’ll have to see. If it happens, I’ll be pretty happy. If it doesn’t, I still have next time.”
Ridenour will be attending the University of Victoria next fall to study general sciences and compete in cross-country and potentially track and field, on top of continuing to train as a triathlete. She’s obviously pleased with the way her high school career wrapped up.
“I’m happy it ended on a good note.”