The Knights of Columbus Indoor Games made its long-awaited comeback last weekend in Saskatoon, and a pair of world-class sprinters made the storied meet one to remember.
The Games, which had taken place every year since 1965 until being forced into a two-year pandemic hiatus, made their triumphant return this year as the first event of the 2023 National Track and Field Tour. Between Thursday and Sunday, more than 3,000 athletes ranging across the spectra of age and skill kick-started their season at the University of Saskatchewan Fieldhouse.
The meet’s marquee events were in the sprints. The women’s 60m hurdles featured a clash of titans between 2022 World Championship competitor Michelle Harrison and multiple-time Team Canada member Mariam Abdul-Rashid. Harrison, a Saskatchewan native competing at home, covered the runway in 8.26 seconds in the qualifying round, a mere hundredth of a second ahead of her competitor. Abdul-Rachid, however, was the best in the final – her time of 8.18 stood as the best in the competition. The 25-year-old doubled back and also won gold in the 60m in a time of 7.51.
The men’s sprinting events were just as hotly contested, and featured enough talent to host both a 50m and 60m final.
In both contests, Usheoritse (Dushos) Itsekiri emerged on top. The student-athlete for university of Regina and Nigerian Olympian took home the 60m title in 6.64 seconds, which stands as the 26th fastest time in the world this year. Stephen Abosi finished second in 6.76, and both men prevailed over a deep field that saw seven athletes dip under 6.90 barrier.
Itsekiri was again on top in the 50m final, where his 5.75-second performance narrowly granted him the win over local 18-year-old phenom Storm Zablocki. The runner-up’s time of 5.82 tied the Canadian U20 50m record.
The high-level competition attracted fans from across the province, as well as one particularly notable spectator. Canadian 100m record holder and 1996 Knights of Columbus Indoor Games Athlete of the Meet Donavan Bailey was in the building signing autographs.
The Indoor Games were the first of 11 National Track and Field Tour events. Learn more about the Tour here, and find full meet results here.
