Sports
Kajaks receive awards at 2022 BC Athletics Awards Banquet
Published 4:51 PST, Fri February 17, 2023
Last Updated: 12:59 PST, Mon March 6, 2023
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Athletes from Richmond Kajaks Track and Field Club were honoured for their 2022 achievements at the recent BC Athletics Awards banquet in Richmond, attended by athletes from all over B.C.
Four young athletes received athlete of the year awards:
• Chase Longley, U16 (hammer throw, 53.34 metres)
• Lawrence Man, U16 (hammer throw, 59.25 metres)
• Aidan Turner, U18 (decathlon, 6817 points; pole vault, 4.85 metres)
• Sofia Varma-Vitug, U16 (triple jump, 10.69 metres)
Two more young athletes, Lauren Curtis (hammer throw) and Levi Tuura (high jump), were athlete of the year nominees.
Selin Tasdemir won the U20 Female Road Runner of the Year Award, ranking first in B.C. and Canada with a half marathon time of 1:30:07.
Two Olympians who trained with the Kajaks also won awards. Hammer throw athlete Camryn Rogers was named Senior Female Track & Field Athlete of the Year and Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year. Rogers is currently ranked first in Canada and fourth internationally.
Race walker Evan Dunfee was named Senior Male Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Dunfee is currently ranked first in Canada in the 10, 20, and 35 kilometre race walk, and in the top 10 internationally for all three distances.
Mo Saatara, lead throws coach at the University of California, Berkeley who coached Rogers through her collegiate and international hammer throw career, received the High Performance Coach of the Year Award.
Kajaks coach Michaela Colluney received the U16/U18 Coach of the Year Award. Kanwal Neel, a Kajaks alumnus from 1969 to 1982 (athlete, coach, and official) received the Excellence in Officiating Award for 50 years in officiating service.
For more information, visit kajaks.ca/post/kajaks-awardees-at-the-2022-bc-athletics-awards-banquet.