There was no shortage of action this past weekend at Foote Field when Austin Cole put on his spikes and set his blocks. After a very successful indoor season with the University of Alberta Golden Bears where he broke a decades old school record in the 300m, Austin remains at the top of his game on the national stage.
Cole, still a junior (U20), currently holds the nation’s top ranked spot in the men’s 400m and sits 3rd in the national rankings for the 200m. With his goals lofty and set in front of him for the taking, he is primed and ready for what lies ahead. Ottawa is first on his list as he seeks out to clinch a national title in the 400m and a plausible double with a victory in the 200m.
Once his mark is made on Ottawa, his season continues to heat up as he looks to represent Canada in both 400m individual and relay events at the 2017 Pan American U20 Championships to be held in Trujillo, Peru, from July 17-24.
“A medal in Trujillo is the top goal of the Pan Am meet,” says coach Rob Fisher of the Capital City Track and Field club. “Austin is ready and confident that he can lay down some solid performances to achieves this goal.”
With confidence in his preparation Cole looks forward to medals and victories at all of his major competitions this summer, but the work isn’t done after his return from Peru. After a short turn around, he has only a couple of days to repack and head off with Team Alberta to the Canada Summer Games to be held in Winnipeg July 27 to August 5. There is no shortage of sprint assignments for Cole during that time where he’ll not only be involved in his individual sprinting events, but also the relays.
“Being ready will be key,” says Coach Fisher. “He has 8 races over 5 days and it will be a true test of his fitness and race management to successfully complete all the rounds and bring home some medals.”
After the Games, Austin will look forward to some well deserved rest and recovery as he’ll prepare for another USport season with U of A. Stay tuned to social media from him (@acole_98) and from Capital City Track Club (@CapCityTC) to follow him on his journey during this incredible time. No matter what uniform you happen to catch him in this summer, you can bet he’ll be in top gear as he hunts down the finish line and leaves the competition in his wake.