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Injuries can’t slow Aldergrove teen

Megan Champoux sets new personal best, wins gold at Canada Summer Games
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Aldergrove’s Megan Champoux won gold in the 400m hurdles at the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg. It was one of two medals she helped win for Team BC. Kevin Bogetti-Smith

It has been a trying year for Megan Champoux, but with 200m to go, and no more races after that, she knew there was no point in leaving anything in the tank.

Competing in the 400m hurdles at the Canada Summer Games earlier this month in Winnipeg, the 17-year-old — up against competitors three and four years older than her — found herself in fourth place in the eight-person race.

“I was a little worried going into the second corner, but I just knew to run my own race and when it was time to kick, it worked out,” Champoux explained. “(And) it was the last race of the season so I just had that little extra push and I ended up coming through.”

Champoux crossed the finish line in first place, setting a new personal best in the process.

Altogether, local athletes won seven gold, three silver and four bronze medals at the Canada Summer Games, which ran July 28 to Aug. 13.

“Anytime I get on the track, I want to win. But at the end of the day, I would have been happy with just a personal best,” she said. “I was lucky enough to do both so I was extra happy about that.”

Champoux shaved about 0.6 seconds off her previous personal best, crossing the finish line in 59.46.

“It has been a rough season with injuries so I was thrilled to end it with a win and a PB,” she said.

This was one of two gold medals Champoux won as she was part of Team BC’s 4x400 relay squad which also topped the podium with a time of 3:43.35.

“I have had a few injuries so my training has been up and down because of it, so I really haven’t been performing as well,” she admitted. “And before the Canada Games, I had about a month off, so I wasn’t in the greatest shape or anything.”

That lack of preparation had the Aldergrove teen nervous heading into the Games.

“But when I ran the heats, I felt good and I was surprised by that (and) it gave me a huge confidence boost going into the finals,” she said.

Now back home, Champoux wasted little time in getting into her other sport, show jumping.

She is currently competing at Thunderbird Show Park for the next two weeks, and then is off to Calgary later this month.

Champoux — who turns 18 in October and graduated high school in June — is contemplating heading to Florida to compete on the winter circuit and is also hoping to make a post-secondary decision in the fall.

“I am definitely going to work on the riding for a little while before I focus on school,” she said.

sports@langleytimes.com