Local track athlete talks about medal performance at BC School Sports Provincial Track and Field Championships

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A local track star impressed the field at the province’s secondary school track and field championships held in Langley last week.

Kaleb Stevens-Fleming achieved top-ten finishes in the three events he was entered in the BC School Sports Track and Field Provincial Championships, which took place from Thursday, June 4th, to Saturday, June 6th, in the Lower Mainland at McLeod Athletic Park.

Stevens-Fleming had qualified for the long jump, the 200-metre sprint and his specialty, the high jump, at the North Central Zone track championships in Prince George.

The latter jump was an unofficial national record for his age group, but, because of his status with Athletics Canada, it did not count.

Stevens-Fleming’s mom, Tanya Stevens-Fleming, was in the crowd watching her son when he took the high jump with a final height of 1.71 metres.

While short of his mark in Prince George of 1.81 metres, it was enough to secure the gold medal. Kaleb described the moment as “pure joy.”

“After my last jump, and [when I] figured out I won, I felt amazing,” Kaleb told Energeticcity.ca. “The adrenaline was rushing, and I was very proud of myself. [I was] happy my mom could see it.”

Kaleb had other events to compete in as well: in the long jump, he was in the running until the final round, falling short of a gold medal with a distance of 5.71 metres.

Although securing a silver medal, Kaleb noted the distance was a personal best in the event. He finished 9th in the 200-metre overall, with a time of 25.25 seconds.

“For my last jump, I felt I needed to get better,” recalled Kaleb. “Through all my efforts, I just fell short, and I couldn’t do it.”

He added he “can’t wait to start training again” in order for him to become “truly elite.”

Along for the ride was his mom, who admitted she was “extremely nervous” about seeing her son perform on the grandest stage of secondary school sports. 

She did, however, say that her son received additional praise not only for his performances but also for his sportsmanship.

“We are just so proud of the results and how he performed and how he carried himself,” said Tanya. “He was always high-fiving or congratulating his fellow competitors, so it was nice to see.”

Stevens-Fleming was part of a large team from the Northern region who represented both North Peace Secondary School and Bert Bowes Middle School.

The BC School Sports Track and Field Provincial Championships took place from Thursday, June 4th, to Saturday, June 6th, in Langley.