Confidence comes naturally for Regina native Jon Podbielski. In his first Canadian Monitor and Area Championships, the 19-year-old pulled off a powerful middle-distance double, successful gold within the U20 800m and 1,500m races, simply 24 hours aside.
Podbielski wasn’t the favorite to win both race, however he wager on himself and advised his coach, Steve Davis, that his objective was to go away Langley, B.C., with two gold medals.
His quest for double gold started on Friday night time within the U20 1,500m prelim, the place he positioned second in his warmth to qualify for Saturday’s closing. Solely 12 hours later, he secured the highest qualifying spot within the U20 males’s 800m prelims, successful his warmth in 1:52.90. That night, Podbielski displayed his magic within the 1,500m closing, ending with a 55-second closing lap to beat pre-race favorite Riley Flemington of Oakville, Ont., flexing his arms throughout the end line in 3:49.62.
“I couldn’t imagine my win at first,” says Podbielski. “I had no thought I might shut like that. Riley is an unbelievable athlete, and I felt just like the underdog coming in.”
Regardless of it being his first Canadian championships, Podbielski raced like a seasoned veteran, and credit operating in Saskatchewan for his championship success. “At each race in Saskatchewan, you’re all the time competing towards the identical guys,” Podbielski laughs. “You already know their fashion and what to anticipate.”
Podbielski caught to the plan he and his coach drew up. “We watched a number of of Flemington’s previous races and seen he tended to be extra conservative, however stayed up close to the entrance,” says Podbielski. “The plan was to sit down on his heels and go after him down the house stretch.
“I knew I had the kick left and needed to swing round him on the nook,” Podbielski provides. “I began to really feel lactic as soon as I handed him, however I managed to carry him off.” Flemington completed second with a time of three:49.80 for silver, whereas Dylan Ferri (additionally of Oakville) received bronze in 3:51.85.
Regardless that Podbielski had the U20 800m finals the next morning, he admitted to sleeping for less than an hour on Saturday night time. “I couldn’t cease enthusiastic about the win and what I had completed,” says Podbielski, reflecting on his first U20 nationwide title. “I feel the boldness increase helped for the 800m closing; I wasn’t scared.”
With only one hour of sleep, Podbielski confirmed up for the ultimate, and didn’t disappoint. He maintained a 50-metre lead into the ending straightaway and pointed on the crowd as he sprinted to the exceptional middle-distance double in 1:50.71.
After his double victory, Podbielski confronted some on-line backlash, with some followers calling his celebrations “cocky” and “smug.” When requested about his celebrations, he emphasised that it’s all enjoyable and video games and believes it provides persona to the game.
“The celebration was spontaneous; it wasn’t deliberate,” Podbielski laughs. “However possibly I’ll add the purpose or the flexing celebration completely, though my mother may not be too glad about that.”
Podbielski plans to “relaxation his legs” and take the following two weeks off coaching earlier than returning to the College of Regina for his second season on the college’s cross-country workforce this fall.
