Twin sisters will end their high school athletic career by competing in the provincial track and field championships this weekend in Medicine Hat.
Foothills Falcons Seniors Courtney and Kaitlin Thomas took home four first-place ribbons from the South Central Zone championships May 25 in Calgary to qualify for the provincial finals June 4-5 in Medicine Hat.
Kaitlin outlasted teammate Zoe Threlfall to win the Senior girls 1,500m and she romped to victory in the 3,000 metres as well.
Her sister Courtney took first place in the Senior girls 800m when she stumbled over the finish line to edge Christine Patterson of the Cochrane Cobras in a photo finish.
“I started out really fast and Kaitlin told me to pace myself better,” Courtney said. “So with about 150 metres she (Patterson) passed me. At first I thought I would just let her go because I was going to get second and go to provincials and then I thought I should go for it.”
With approximately 50 metres to go, Courtney attempted to pass on the inside line.
“I was trying to get my head further and further and throw my body out,” Thomas said. “I fell because it was a little crowded.”
She broke the plastic finish line pole as she fell to the ground.
Officials ruled Courtney did not crowd Patterson and she was declared the winner.
Courtney also won the Senior girls long jump with a leap of 4.82m.
In preparing for the zone final Kaitlin learned from her loss to Threlfall in the 1,500m the week before at the divisional track meet in High River.
“Last week, she kicked on the last 100 metres to beat me,” Kaitlin said. “This time I made sure to save up enough energy and right at the end of the last 100 metres I was able to beat her.”
Kaitlin’s time in the 1,500m was 5:40.16. Threlfall finished second with a time of 5:41.76 and she also qualified for provincials.
Kaitlin also won the Senior girls 3,000m in a time of 12:46.81 more than 30 seconds better than the second place runner.
The Thomas girls also teamed up with Rachel Baxter and Melanie Fisher to win the Open girls 4×400m relay for the Falcons.
Some members of the Falcons’ 4×100m Intermediate boys relay team took a big step to getting back on the provincial medal podium.
The Falcons team of Kris Stretton, Logan Northcott, Devan Karl and Adam Carruthers took first place at zones finishing more than two seconds ahead of St. Joseph’s High School.
“I was maybe three or four metres behind when I passed the baton and then Logan got us caught up,” Stretton said. “Then Devan gave us the lead.”
Karl made a clean pass to Carruthers who took off like he was the roadrunner and Karl was the coyote just behind him. All that was missing was a cloud of smoke and a beep-beep.
“It was one of the best baton exchanges I ever had,” said Carruthers about the pass. “I was just trying to focus on getting to the finish line.”
Carruthers, Northcott and Stretton were members of the Falcons Junior boys’ team which won the provincial silver medal last year.
“I think we can win it this year,” Stretton said. “We are definitely faster this year.”
Carruthers also won the boys Intermediate 400m and was second in the 100m.