Athletics Ontario is on the lookout for Ontario’s Fastest Kids.
The governing body for track and field in Ontario is hosting eight qualifying races across the province, including Greater Sudbury on June 15.
The Royal Canadian Legion: District H qualifier will be held at the Laurentian University track.
Cheering on the kids and helping hand out the awards in Sudbury will be Olympic gold medallist Robert Esmie.
In his only Olympic race, Esmie became an Olympic champion as the lead-off runner for Canada's gold medal-winning 4x100m relay team at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.
The province-wide races will lead into a finale at the Ontario U20, Open & Para Track & Field Championship at the Toronto Track and Field Centre on July 20 to crown the province’s fastest boy, girl, Para boy and Para girl.
“This meet is also a qualifier meet for athletes hoping to make the Ontario Summer Games that will be taking place in early August,” a news release said Thursday.
It’s also “the first qualifier for athletes attempting to qualify for the Ontario provincial team that will be competing at the Royal Canadian Legion Youth National Championships in Calgary Aug. 9-11.”
“The future of Ontario track and field may very well be competing in Ontario’s Fastest Kids races,” Paul Osland, CEO of Athletics Ontario, is quoted as saying in the release.
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“How fast can our kids run? It will be exciting to find out. We have seen future collegiate and international athletes come out of this event in the past. The Ontario’s Fastest Kids initiative is a great program for them to come out, get introduced to track events and have some fun.”
Kids born in 2012 or later are eligible to complete. Interested athletes must pre-register and compete in the selected competitions and races specifically identified as “Eligible for Finding Ontario’s Fastest Kids.” Athletes competing in other events will not be considered.
