Bulldogs athletes close out season on a high in Calgary

By Medicine Hat News on September 1, 2021.

Three athletes from the Medicine Hat Bulldogs Track and Field Club closed out their summer seasons with podium finishes at the Calgary Summer Finale this weekend.

U20 athlete Justina Renke won gold in both the senior women’s female discus and javelin events, as well as a third-place finish in shot put, while Laine Gauthier finished first in U16 male discus and second in the 300, 800 and 1,200-metre runs.

“The last two results now unofficially rank Laine as the No. 1 junior high mid-distance runner all-time in Medicine Hat across Grades 7-9,” Bulldogs head coach Sean Freeman said in an email to the News. “This also unofficially ranks him as the No. 1 Grade 8 runner all-time in Zone 1.”

Renke finished second in individual points among 70 athletes in the 18+ male/female category, while Gauthier finished fourth among 76 in the 17-and-under male/female category. The performances were enough to earn the Bulldogs sixth in the 18+ combined team scores and 16th in the 17-and-under combined team scores despite having just one athlete in each division.

Freeman was also in action in the master’s men division, earning silver in both javelin and discus, including a personal-best throw in discus.

Dustin Morris, who competes in the U20 male division, was unable to compete due to injury.