Rising track athlete Alexa Dow from the Cowichan Valley has been chosen as Canadian flag-bearer for the opening ceremony this weekend of the 2023 Youth Commonwealth Games in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Canadian custom now for multi-sport Games is to have a female and male flagbearer with rugby player Morgan Di Nardo selected as co-flagbearer with Dow at the head of the 74-athlete Canadian team.
Dow will compete in the women’s 800 and 1,500 metres of the Commonwealth Youth Games with Tyler Browne of Victoria competing in the men’s 3,000 metres. Dow and Browne didn’t have far to go to ask for advice about competing in multi-sports Games. Both are coached on the Prairie Inn Harriers Youth Racing Team by two-time Olympic marathoner and Pan Am Games medallist Bruce Deacon.
Dow goes into the Games as the U-20 national silver medallist in the 800 metres from the Canadian track and field championships last week in Langley. The Frances Kelsey Secondary star runner is 16 and was the youngest competitor in the race and only missed the gold medal by 0.48 seconds.
Dow also broke the sa国际传媒 U-20 record for the 1,500 metres, which had stood since 1994, by clocking 4:18.64 at the Harry Jerome Track Classic last month in Langley. Dow is the top-ranked Canadian U-18 female runner in the both the 800 and 1,500 metres at 2:06.98 and 4:18.64, respectively, and the sa国际传媒 high school record holder for the junior girls’ 800 and 1,500 metres. She also holds the sa国际传媒 records in the U-16 800 and 1,500 metres and was the junior high school provincial cross-country champion.
On the Canadian rugby sevens teams to the Youth Commonwealth Games are two-time Island high school basketball MVP for Claremont Adia Pye, who has chosen rugby over hoops, Ava Ference of Shawnigan Lake, daughter of former NHLer Andrew Ference, and Skye Farish of Victoria on the women’s team and Aiden Jones of Mill Bay, Jonty Nicholas of Shawnigan Lake and Spencer Cotie and Ty Driscoll, both of Victoria, on the boys’ team.
“This tournament has been a stepping stone for many current and former national sevens players, and will be a great experience and development opportunity for the entire squad,” Nigel D’Acre, head coach of sa国际传媒’s men’s Commonwealth Youth Games Team, said in a statement.
The 2023 Youth Commonwealth Games run through Friday with athletes ages 14-18 competing in seven sports.
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