A rising athletics star from Paradise Hill, Sask., paced her way to a national under-20 gold medal at the Canadian track and field championships on the August long weekend in Ottawa.
Read more: Fischer takes next step in Alberta tryouts
Kate Fink, who just turned 17 in the spring, won the 400-metre hurdles competing one level up from her U18 age group.
“Being only 17 years old, it honestly feels amazing,” Fink said in an Athletics Canada interview after the race.
“This is just one big part in my journey and knowing that I did this just gives me a lot of confidence.”
Fink’s winning time was 60.26 seconds, just shy of her personal best of 60.19. Her goals this season include trying to break 60 seconds.
She’s right back in action this weekend (Aug. 8-10) as she competes in Calgary at the Legion youth nationals for a third and final year.
Fink is a member of the Split City Sonics track club in Lloydminster. She’s going into Grade 12 at Lloydminster Comprehensive High School.
Fink has commuted to the Comp since Grade 10 as she prepares academically and athletically for an anticipated jump to NCAA Division 1 athletics within a couple of years.
Her readiness for this summer’s major national meets in Canada included running in multiple U.S. events.
“We were doing some competitions in the States, just because there is more competition down there,” said Fink’s mother, Raschel Zeschuk. “We were in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and we were at the Nike nationals in Eugene,
Oregon, just in June, so she has some experience competing down there.
“The Nike nationals were right during (high school) finals. She had to write a couple of finals early, and then we headed down to Eugene.”
The Canadian championships last weekend gave Fink another taste of high-level competition and a trackside view of Olympic-calibre athletes in action.
“This was kind of a new experience,” Zeschuk said. “It was our first time travelling to the U20 nationals. It’s pretty interesting, because it’s U20 but they also have higher-up-level athletes competing at the senior level. So, there was a lot of Olympic athletes there who were just at the Olympics in Paris this (past) year, and they were competing, too.
“It was fun to be at the same type of competition and seeing some of those athletes compete.”
Fink also competes in the 100m hurdles, but her main event is the 400m hurdles.
At national meets in recent years, it’s been a steady progression for Fink. Two years ago at the Legion nationals in Sherbrooke, Que., she placed third in Canada in the 200m hurdles. Last year in Calgary, she posted a silver-medal finish at nationals.
Climbing atop the podium this year, Fink’s latest achievement in Ottawa was a proud moment for her entire family.
“It was exciting for her to get that gold in an age group up,” Zeschuk said.
Fink also plays hockey but her true devotion is track. She’s continuing a family tradition in representing the Sonics. That’s the same track club her mother was part of back in the day.
Read more: 15U AA Twins plate provincial silver
