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Much has changed since Hilary Stellingwerff of Victoria ran at the 2012 London Summer Olympics 鈥� namely two-year-old son Theo.
Well, Theo, Mommy is going back to the Olympics.
Stellingwerff nabbed one of the three Canadian spots in the women鈥檚 1,500 metres for Rio 2016 during the Canadian Olympic track and field trials Saturday night at Foote Field in Edmonton.
Stellingwerff, Gabriella Stafford and Nicole Sifuentes were at the head of a furious stretch drive with Toronto鈥檚 Stafford pulling ahead to win in 4:18.51. All three booked their tickets to Rio with Sifuentes second in 4:18.65 and Stellingwerff third in 4:18.99.
Stellingwerff is also assistant coach of the University of Victoria Vikes running team. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a balancing act,鈥� she said, of her hectic life.
There will be some more balancing to do with a trip to Rio looming next month. Husband Trent Stellingwerff is one of sa国际传媒鈥檚 leading sports scientists and based at PISE in Saanich.
Heather Steacy, who trains in Victoria at the Lambrick Park Secondary throwing cage, won the women鈥檚 hammer throw at 69.17 metres and is also headed to Rio. She is the sister-in-law of Ashley Steacy, who is preparing for the Rio Olympics as part of the Langford-based world No. 3 Canadian women鈥檚 rugby sevens team.
鈥淲e see each other more around Victoria than we did in [their hometown] Lethbridge,鈥� Heather Steacy said last month.
Ashley Steacy was at Bullen Park on Saturday for a clinic with the Olympic rugby team and anxiously awaiting the track and field results from Edmonton to see whether her sister-in-law would be joining her in Rio.
Two-time Olympian Sultana Frizell, who is Heather Steacy鈥檚 training partner in Victoria, was second in the hammer at the trials with 69.14 metres.
World champion Derek Drouin of Sarnia, Ont., who won the Victoria International Track Classic this month at Centennial Stadium, captured the men鈥檚 high jump at the trials with a leap of 2.30 metres. Two-time Olympian Michael Mason from Nanoose Bay was second at 2.23 metres.
The trials did not begin well for Island athletes when Cam Levins from Black Creek, a breakthrough finalist in both the 5,000 and 10,000 metres as an Olympic rookie at London in 2012, faded to a shocking seventh place.
In the trials highlight Saturday, sprint sensation Andre De Grasse won the men鈥檚 100 metres in 9.99 seconds to set the table for a potential run to the podium in Rio.
