qathet region athletes bring home medals from BC Summer Games

Three qathet region athletes competed in the BC Summer Games in Maple Ridge from July 17 to 21 and all three brought home medals.

Adianta Cocksedge-Hamilton competed in four events and won two silver and two bronze medals, Nelle Liefsoens competed in three events and won gold in duathlon, and Leander Browne took silver in boys shot put.

“It was really relieving to be on the podium,” said Cocksedge-Hamilton. “I felt super satisfied and happy.”

Cocksedge-Hamilton, competing in the girls 14- to 15-year-old category, took silver in the sprint triathlon, silver in the F1 triathlon, bronze in the duathlon and bronze in the aquathon. She also swims for the West Coast Wind Swim Club and competes in gravel bike racing, as well as cross-country running.

She said leading up to the qualifier on Vancouver Island, she hadn’t been training, but she qualified for the BC Summer Games, so, for six weeks, she did something every single day leading up to the big competition.

Cocksedge-Hamilton had a coach, Christine Bright, who works with high-end athletes, helping her train for the Vancouver Island – Central Coast team. Bright provided workouts and direction for training.

Cocksedge said conditions for the competition were hot, especially on the first day, but with swimming involved in the competitions, it helped competitors.

“It wasn’t a big deal,” said Cocksedge-Hamilton.

In the swimming portions of the competitions, Cocksedge-Hamilton said she was typically in the top five, but there were some nationally ranked swimmers ahead of her. She made up ground in the on-land portions of her races.

While competition at the BC Summer Games was intense, Cocksedge-Hamilton said friendships were formed.

“All the girls are quite close,” said Cocksedge-Hamilton. “They are from all over BC, and now I have a friend in Vanderhoof.”

Cocksedge-Hamilton said because the BC Summer Games are held every two years, she will age out and not be able to participate in 2026. She is turning her competitive ambitions to continuing in the pool, as well as cycling and running. She is hoping to go to provincials in the fall in cyclocross. She also wants to compete regionally, and hopefully beyond, in cross country running. She said she would consider continuing on in multi-sport events, such as triathlon, in the future.

Cocksedge-Hamilton said the BC Summer Games were one of the best experiences she’s ever had.

“I really liked meeting a lot of new people who had the same kind of background as me,” she added. “There’s not that many triathletes in Powell River, so it was really nice to be in a group that really understood what we were going through.

“I really want to thank the coaches who helped out. They are all volunteers and they were really helpful.”

Top of podium

Liefsoens was able to capture gold in duathlon, which is a one-kilometre run, a six-kilometre bike ride and then another one-kilometre run. She also competed in sprint triathlon and F1 triathlon, coming in fourth in both races.

Liefsoens, who is a top-rated runner, also practices the other disciplines of triathlon. She said she has been cycling a 15-kilometre course from Wildwood, going past Tla’amin Nation to Southview Road. She also has been a swim club member in the past and trained prior to her BC Summer Games triathlon.

Liefsoens was not able to run in the BC Summer Games because she aged out, so she decided to try out for triathlon and duathlon so she could compete. In the tryout in Comox, she had to run three and a half kilometres, and she was first in her age group. However, in the BC Summer Games, the run was short.

It has been a good summer of competition for Liefsoens, who competed in the provincial track and field event, winning gold in the 2,000-metre steeplechase. Liefsoens said she has been undertaking a lot of training.

“I go to the track all the time,” said Liefsoens. “I practiced hurdles and then we practiced the water jump [for steeplechase]. I also did an 800-metre workout and then 400-metres.”

Liefsoens said the BC Summer Games was a fun experience.

“It’s great to meet new people,” said Liefsoens. “There were four boys and four girls in our zone, so we were all close. We got triathlon shirts and I got them all to sign the back with their names on it, and little messages. So it makes for a good memory.”

Liefsoens said the opening ceremonies were “so cool” and there were lots of activities at the games for competitors, such as a scavenger hunt and a DJ.

Liefsoens said she had two races a day, and it was hard, but good.

She will now concentrate on running events, with cross country competitions coming up in September. She will enter the North Island competition, leading to the Vancouver Island competition, which is a qualifier for the provincials. Liefsoens’ long-term goal is to make the national team. She would also eventually like to run for a college or university.

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