GULF SHORES, AL. - Never threatened in his 3000 metre steeplechase final, second year student-athlete
John Gay (Kelowna, B.C.) cruised to victory at the 2016 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championship in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Gay crossed the finish line in a time of 9:12.15, well off his personal best, but more than enough to win by a healthy margin. The thick, humid Alabama air wasn't enough to slow down Gay.
"I think every time I'm down here in this type of humidity I get a bit more adjusted to it," said Gay post-race. "This time it was definitely a bit easier than last year, and hopefully it gets a bit easier every time I do it. It's definitely another element to factor in."
The track ahead would seem very promising for Gay. He's only in his second year at UBC and has spent just one year under the tutelage of UBC Head Coach
Laurier Primeau and his new staff. Primeau came to Point Grey in the middle of 2015.
"Under Laurier and the coaches he has brought in to support him and our athletes, the focus and momentum of our program is just incredible," explains Gay, who talks like a man much wiser and more articulate than his 19 years of age. "The support I've had this year has been beyond compare."
See all the results of the 2016 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships here.
Gay also had nice things to say about his family. Although they're not a track crazy clan, they get a lot of the credit for propelling him to the lofty heights he's acheived at such a young age..Â
"They don't have a lot of track background, but just incredibly supportive," says Gay. "So thank you to my parents, my brother and sister, and my grandparents. I'm just so incredibly grateful and blessed to have the love and support of such a great family to pull me through experiences like this."
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