AP PHOTO/PETR DAVID JOSEK Sage Watson reacts after setting a new Canadian record and advancing to the 400 metre hurdles final at the world athletics championships in Doha, Qatar Oct. 2, 2019.
She overcame. She conquered. She even found time to give back.
But Sage Watson, the Medicine Hat News’ choice as local newsmaker of the year, isn’t dwelling on what she’s accomplished. Not with the Olympics in Tokyo less than seven months away.
“I’ve been training pretty much every day since I’ve been home,” said the 25-year-old from Seven Persons last week while in town spending time with family. “I got to (look back) a little bit, especially talking with my family about the year. I’m so deep into preparing for 2020 that the reflection period is very short.
“But the one thing I took away from this year was a lot of gratitude.”
Watson wound up breaking a 23-year-old Canadian record in her specialty, the 400 metre hurdles, at the world track and field championships in Qatar. She also won the event at the Pan American Games in Peru. But 2019 started with a foot injury that could have derailed not only her season but her entire career.
“I started the year injured and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to run this year,” said Watson, who’s dealt with foot issues since her second year of university. “I was in so much pain I could barely put weight on my foot and leg.”
She eventually passed on surgery to correct bone spurs, opting instead to deal with ongoing physiotherapy to keep it in check.
The hardest part was not knowing whether her body would hold up.
“It was still in my foot, it was pretty painful,” said Watson, who lives and trains in Arizona. “It just took a lot of time, a lot of prehab and rehab to get it to where I could run on it again.
“Anybody has their problem areas in life, we all have it. It just happens to be my foot, so it’s something I have to be extra cautious about, take care of on a daily basis.”
But it did hold up, and the results were undeniable. A Canadian title. Podium finishes in the Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland and Belgium. The Pan Am Games win and the national record.
“To not only be able to run, but break the Canadian record, go to world championships… especially winning the Pan American Games was really special to be able to accomplish those things.”
Almost a DQ
Watson raised her arms as she crossed the finish line in Lima, Peru on Aug. 8, her time of 55.16 seconds first by a couple strides at her second Pan Am Games.
But something was wrong.
“The head coach comes up to me and he has this look in his eye, something happened,” she said. “They told me ‘right now, you’re currently DQ’d.’ I felt panic, what did I do?”
They said she’d gone out of her lane, her white spikes touching the white line on the track.
Watson wasn’t fazed. She got tested for drugs – clean as always – then waited nearly a half hour until officials got a better look at the race thanks to a Canadian staffer who’d recorded her close-up. The higher-resolution video cleared Watson of the lane violation she was alleged of. The gold was hers.
“I was super relieved, the guy who videos is Dana and I gave him a big hug,” she said. “I always appreciated what he did, but this was one of those moments: what you did saved me from being DQ’d.”
It was a vindication that she was on pace to meet her next goal.
History
Watson set provincial track records while with Hat High that still haven’t been broken, so she knows a little bit what it’s like to be Rosey Edeh. Edeh ran the 400 hurdles in 54.39 seconds at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, a national mark Watson’s had her eye on for years.
It felt like this would be the year.
She even had Edeh in her corner. Edeh’s daughter, Micha Powell, is also now a national team sprinter whom Watson is good friends with.
So when Watson leaned in to the finish line Oct. 2 in Doha, Qatar in the semifinal heat at worlds, it wasn’t just to ensure she made the final (which she did).
“I knew that it was coming,” said Watson. “Maybe if it happened a few years ago I would’ve been even more excited, but when I got the record I was just so thankful. I’d been working for it for so long, so it wasn’t surprise.”
The time of 54.32 isn’t near the world record of 52.16, set by American Dalilah Muhammad in the world final – Watson was eighth in 54.83. But given the injury problems she overcame, the hope is there’s plenty of room to go faster in the new year.
“My experience with racing internationally helped me in that moment,” said Watson, who had a grand total of one day off from training over the holiday season, using the hills in Elkwater to keep pushing her limits.
Charity
While the on-track results were certainly the most memorable parts of Watson’s year, she hasn’t neglected what goes on off of it either.
In February she paired with Hell’s Basement Brewery for “Brews for Shoes,” collecting more than $8,000 at the event to help buy footwear for less fortunate kids in Medicine Hat and area.
Nike, which sponsors Watson, has since stepped up and ensured that the shoes she buys with those funds will be at a major discount and with no cost to ship.
“It’s been great,” she said. “It’s starting off in a small way that I feel is really great that I can help give back to the community.”
Watson stopped in to help out at the Panthers Track Club last month, and is proud of the body positivity messages she’s sent out on social media. The supremely fit Watson has dealt with image issues herself growing up, and knows she has a platform to talk to people around the world about it.
“There’s definitely expectations to be a positive role model, but my focus is always just to keep it real, be real with who I am, honest about what I’m saying and what I’m promoting,” she said. “I like to follow people who post positive stuff, so I try to be very positive with my social media and the things I say.”
Red and ahead
Being fast alone doesn’t pay the bills. So Watson’s supporters will be glad to hear she’s working on something to do with the red lipstick that’s become part of her image.
She won’t say exactly what it is yet, but the University of Arizona marketing graduate has never been shy about why she puts on makeup before racing.
“It’s for me, it’s not trying to please anybody else,” she said. “I started using it as a way to boost my confidence. All the women in my family were wearing it when they cheered me on at the (2016) Olympics.
“It’s kind of been my thing, that’s part of my uniform now is my red lipstick.”
Between that and the Canadian gear she plans to don in Tokyo, Watson’s set to make a lot more news in 2020.
“I want to be ready to run three rounds in Tokyo, so I want to run the first round great, the second round great, and the third round great.
“It’s not just running one good race. That’s something I definitely focus on… hard training, staying injury-free and staying on top of everything.”
