Sudbury's Kivi Park hosts 600 high school ski races for 2025 OFSAA Nordic Championships
The OFSAA Nordic ski championships started early yesterday, and 15 races later, it's wrapping up at Kivi Park in Sudbury. Up North producer Bridget Yard takes us there.
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CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
Local athletes head to OFSAA Track and Field as gold medal favourites
Jenna Tunks (L) and Jackson MacKay (R) are gold-medal favourites heading into OFSAA track and field. June 3, 2025. (Brent Lale/CTV News Londno) Decathlete Jackson MacKay is hoping to finish his high school track career with a haul of medals. 'With this being my last year, winning a couple of medals, it would mean a lot to me,' said MacKay, a top provincial athlete and student at Sir Fredrick Banting Secondary School (SFBSS). Heading into OFSAA, he's ranked number one in the province in long jump and the 110 metre hurdles. His 4x100 m relay team is also the favourite to win a gold medal. He's currently ranked second in pole vault, and his SFBSS 4x400 m relay team is also ranked number two in Ontario. 'He's kind of been sort of challenged with timing issues at OFSAA the last number of years,' says Todd MacKay, his father, and head coach of SFBSS track and field. 'It's been hurdles going at the same time as a high jump for example in the past. This year the schedule works out well and I think it's his goal to medal.' Jackson is coming off a successful OFSAA West Regions where he won the 110 m hurdles, the long jump and the 4x100 m relay. He had second place finishes in pole vault and the 4x400 m relay. He'll compete in all five events this week. jackson mackay - pole vault Jackson MacKay of Sir Fredrick Banting S.S. cleared 4.35 m in the WOSAA pole vault competition. (Source: Todd McKay) 'My coach thinks I can get the OFSAA record for pole vault,' said Jackson of the mark of 4.87 m set by Rob Lindsay in 1984. 'I don't know about hurdles because Gregory McNeill [Mother Teresa in 2010] it's pretty impressive what he ran [13.33 seconds]. I don't know if that record is going to get broken.' Jackson turned down a scholarship to the University of Cincinnati to stay at home at Western this fall. He did that in order to play both football and run track, the same thing his father Todd did. Across the field, Oakridge Secondary School thrower Jenna Tunks is the favourite to win both her events in the junior girls division. At OFSAA West Regionals, she won the discuss by more than 12 metres with a throw of 45.57 m and took the shot put with a throw of 15.32 m. 'I'm really just like focusing on like my technique recently because I haven't been very confident in my throws, but I feel that I'm like getting that confidence back,' says Tunks. 'I'm hoping to get a new OFSAA record for the Shotput.' Jenna Tunks Jenna Tunks of Oakridge S.S. is favoured to win the OFSAA Jr. Girls Discus and Shot Put events (Source: Jason Tunks) OFSAA records run in the family. Her father Jason, a former Olympian, has held the discus record for 30 years, and her sister Julia holds both the junior and senior girls discus marks. 'It'll be difficult [to break the discus record] as her sister's OFSAA record is like 53 (metres) and some change,' said Jason. 'I mean she's always been around 50 (metres). I think the ultimate goal is if she gets around 50, conditions bearing, as we've been getting a lot of rain. If we get no rain and a favorable wind, I think 50 is the goal.' When it comes to the shot put, she has a legitimate chance to etch her name in the books. 'She's more than capable of breaking the OFSAA record in the shot, which is at 16-zero (metres),' said Jason. 'If she can execute really well, she should do that.' Tunks has already won an OFSAA gold medal this year with the Oaks in volleyball. She has a great chance at coming home with two more this week at OFSAA which runs Thursday through Saturday at York University in Toronto.
CTV News
28-05-2025
- CTV News
Sandwich athlete winning races, setting records and in pursuit of provincial greatness
She's fast, she's focused and she's chasing history. Ella Steel-Douglas is running towards a legacy that would make her the most decorated high school track and field athlete in the history of OFSAA. 'It's exciting,' said the Grade 12 athlete. 'It gives me a constant goal and it's exciting to go after something that I know that I can achieve.' According to Sandwich head track coach Rob Moore, Ella was beating older kids when she was in grade 6. 'When she got to Grade 8, we noticed more and when she got to Grade 9, it just, wow. I mean, four OFSAA golds in Grade 9. That was just phenomenal. No one has ever done that,' Moore told CTV News. Steel-Douglas earned four provincial medals in Grade 10 and again last season pushing her total to 12. She has five events heading into the OFSAA West. If she qualifies for all five, she has a chance to end her high school career with 17 OFSAA medals. According to OFSAA, 2-time Olympian Jessica Zelinka won 16 medals during her five-year high school career while 3-time Olympian Kevin Sullivan finished with 13. 'When I got here in Grade 9, I had no clue what the records were. I had no clue who held them or who she (Zelinka) was in particular,' Steel-Douglas said. 'Then as I kept getting four medals every year, that's when it (the record) kinda came in sight. Ella's core four events are the hurdles, relay teams and long jump. This year, she added high jump to give her a chance at surpassing Zelinka. It's an event she's had to rediscover. 'When I was a kid, I did it,' said Steel-Douglas who has also jumped a couple of times during multi-events with her club team. 'I have a good foundation for it but actual practice, I don't really practice it all that much. Yet she won both the local and regional titles this spring. Steel-Douglas shares her achievements with teammates who have played a big role in her success. 'Having them beside me and having like-minded people in my corner, it helps me achieve those things. Her goal is in sight, but first order of business is getting through the OFSAA West Regionals starting Friday in London. 'I'm just excited for not just this school but all of Essex-County because I see the athletes that are coming out of this area, and I think it's gonna be a good OFSAA for Windsor-Essex County kids if we can get them through,' Moore said. The top 4 in each event advance to the OFSAA Championships at York University starting June 5th.
Winnipeg Free Press
26-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ski great Therese Johaug puts family first and ends career before 2026 Winter Olympics
OSLO (AP) — Four-time Olympic gold medalist Therese Johaug is retiring from cross-country skiing, opting against competing at next year's Winter Games. The 36-year-old Norwegian made the announcement Monday, saying she wants to put her family first. It's the second time Johaug has announced her retirement, having first quit the sport after winning three gold medals at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. She made a comeback last season for the Nordic skiing world championships held on home snow in Norway. Johaug would have been competing at her fourth Olympics next February at Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo. She missed the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics while serving a ban after testing positive for a steroid in a lip balm. 'It would have been fun to do the Olympics in Italy,' she told Norwegian broadcaster NRK, adding: 'I want to be a full-time mom.' Johaug has a two-year-old daughter with Nils Jakob Hoff, a two-time Olympian in rowing. Johaug won her first Olympic gold medal in Vancouver in 2010 and took silver and bronze at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. The 14-time world champion also won four medals on home snow at the Nordic worlds held in March at Trondheim. ___ AP sports:
