HIGH ACHIEVERS: Quadruple UBC champion Katie Newlove took a chance on cross-country running early, loved it

By Martin Cleary

When Katie Newlove was a Grade 3 student at Fallingbrook Community Elementary School, she learned a variety of sports were part of the extracurricular program.

That certainly caught her attention. She wasn’t eligible for team sports like soccer or basketball as she needed to be in Grades 5 and higher.

But there was something called cross-country running. She met the criteria and gave it a try. Not only did she like it, but also she had some success every year, which made her like it even more every year.

Newlove didn’t lose that passion for overland running through rain, mud, wind and the occasional sunny day as she moved through Grades 7-12 at St. Peter Catholic High School.

In her four high school years racing for the Knights, Newlove had tight battles with Skye Pellerin of St. Francis Xavier and Emma Betty of Lisgar, but never finished outside the top four in her age class at the National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association championships (second-place showings as a senior in 2019 and as a midget in 2016).

Her best results at the OFSAA provincial high school championships were fifth as a junior, 10th as a midget and 15th in her final senior season.

Her enthusiasm for cross-country running grew even stronger when she entered the University of British Columbia in 2020.

And today, she’s regarded as the top women’s university cross-country runner in Canada.

It’s hard to dispute that after she posted convincing individual race victories in the Canada West conference and the U Sports national championships only two weeks apart and sparked the Thunderbirds to the conference and Canadian women’s team titles.

“It feels like an individual sport, but you have teammates,” said Newlove about her early attraction to cross-country running. “I fell in love with it.

“I love the grit and determination (needed to perform well). You’re running for more than yourself. The team pushes you to challenge yourself.”

Newlove, 21, will run in the women’s open class Saturday at the Athletics Canada national championships at Mooney’s Bay. She won the bronze medal in the women’s U20, six-kilometre race at the 2021 nationals and was 49th in her women’s open debut in 2022.

In her first two years running for the UBC Thunderbirds, Newlove enjoyed the practices and culture of her new team. While her U Sports championship individual results were 31st in 2022 and 43rd in 2021, she was proud to be part of the silver-medal-winning women’s team last year, following a fourth-place finish in 2021.

After a strong track and field season in 2022, where she won the NAIA Conference 5,000 metres, Newlove was filled with confidence about her running. She hoped to place among her team’s top four in each cross-country running race this season to score team placement points.

“My season was way beyond my expectations,” she admitted.

For three major competitions in a row, she excelled and her confidence levels swelled each time out.

On Oct. 14, Newlove placed an impressive fifth in the British Columbia cross-country running championships women’s open eight-kilometre race and sparked the UBC Thunderbirds to a second-place team result.

Two weeks later in Kelowna, B.C., she won the Canada West conference title in 28 minutes, 12 seconds for a 10-second victory over University of Calgary’s Chloe Turner.

“This season is different because I have more confidence in my abilities,” she explained. “No matter how the race plays out, I can put myself in that pack and cover every move. I felt comfortable, confident.”

At the U Sports championships in London, ON., she cruised through the first five kilometres, made a move with 2½ kilometres remaining, and had few followers.

“I felt in charge. Once I got to that point, I felt good,” said Newlove, who fed her appetite for cross-country running by travelling with her father to watch the 2018 U Sports championships in Kingston.

“It (winning two U Sports titles) was really emotional. The coaches and parents were crying. Hard work paid off.”

She described her quadruple championship season as “wild and surreal.”

As for Saturday’s Athletics Canada championships, Newlove will be competing against the best runners in the country and she feels ready for a good effort.

“I’d like to score for my team (top four),” highlighted Newlove, who placed 49th at last year’s nationals to help her Vancouver Thunderbirds open women’s team to victory in the club competition.

“This is the first season I feel I can be competitive,” she added. “I have a shot at a good performance. I haven’t set a goal, but I want a good race.”

DEEP RIVER’S KYLE TREMBLAY SCORES SHOOT-OUT PARAPAN ARCHERY BRONZE

Finishing in third place had different meanings for two Ottawa and region athletes Wednesday at the Parapan-American Games in Santiago, Chile.

Kyle Tremblay of Deep River, ON., used a dramatic overtime finish to earn a bronze medal in archery. But Keegan Gaunt’s third-place finish in athletics wasn’t worthy of a bronze for the Ottawa middle-distance runner.

Competing in his second straight one-arrow, shoot-out, Tremblay scored a bullseye 10, while Mexico’s Victor Sardinia registered a nine. In Monday’s semifinal match, Tremblay scored a nine in the shoot-out, and Diego Quesada of Costa Rica moved into the final with a 10.

“On that last shot (Wednesday), I just told myself, ‘Don’t shoot a nine again and lose,’” Tremblay said.

Tremblay and Sardinia tied their bronze-medal match at 142 points each, after five rounds (15 arrows) of shooting. Trailing by one point after four rounds, Sardinia forced the overtime with a perfect fifth round of three consecutive 10s for 30 points, while Tremblay had two 10s and one nine for 20 points.

Sardinia, who doesn’t have arms, controls the bow with his right foot, puts the string between his chin and chest and pulls back the arrow.

“I wanted this one for Canada,” said Tremblay, who was Canada’s only archer at the Games. “I got the (2024 Paralympic Games quota) spot (by reaching the semifinals), but going home with the medal makes it that much sweeter.

“Victor was amazing. He kept pushing and I had to stay focused. I couldn’t let my mind drift.”

Meanwhile, Gaunt finished third in the women’s T13 1,500 metres for visually-impaired runners. But since there were only three runners in the race, Parapan-Am Games organizers didn’t award the bronze medal for third place.

Colombia’s Francy Osorio won the gold in 4:35.59, which broke the respective Games and Americas Zone records of 5:25.04 and 4:39.63. Silver-medallist Daniela Velasco, who previously owned the Americas record, pulled ahead of Gaunt on the final lap and finished in 4:50.53.

A disappointed Gaunt, who holds the Canadian T13 women’s 1,500-metre record at 4:41.62, took third in 4:53.75. Gaunt was unavailable for comment after the race.

Meanwhile, Canada and the United States will meet again Thursday in mixed wheelchair rugby, but this time for the gold medal and a berth in the Paris Paralympics.

The two teams clashed on Tuesday with Canada winning its final group match 46-41.

In the semifinals, Canada won every quarter and defeated Brazil 60-45, after the U.S. turned back Colombia 52-45.

Co-captain Patrice Dagenais of Embrun, ON., played 15:11 for Canada.

Ottawa players Amy Burk of scored five and Emma Reinke added three goals as Canada shut out Mexico 10-0 in the women’s goalball quarterfinal. Ottawa’s Whitney Bogart also scored a penalty goal.

Canada will play undefeated pool winner Brazil in Thursday’s scheduled semifinal.

In CP soccer, Canada dropped its fourth consecutive game, losing 10-0 to Argentina. Canada is scheduled to finish round-robin play on Thursday against the United States before playing in the fifth- and sixth-place match on Friday.

Canada, which didn’t muster a single shot at or on the Argentinian goal, played without its top player, Sam Charron of Ottawa. Charron missed the game due to a hamstring injury.