Regan Yee of Hazelton will be representing Canada in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
She was confirmed to be heading to the Olympics on Saturday (July 3) after she set a new Canadian record during the Olympic Trials in Montreal.
Yee completed the 3,000 metre steeplechase with a time of 9:27:54.
According to Yee, in 2016 there was an opportunity to make the Canadian Olympic Team but she made fourth during the Olympic Trials.
She said beating the Olympic Qualifying time was a surreal moment and that her coach knew she could beat the record.
“He told me before the race run without fear, get out there, be brave and go and do your thing and don’t worry, don’t stress about the times, just go out there and run hard, so that was a huge weight off my shoulders and I went out there and did what I do every day at practice,” Yee said.
She added during the Pandemic there was a lack of races and the only races they were allowed to run were in a two to three-week window leading up to the Olympic Trials closing deadline.
In 2019, Yee raced in the Pan Am Games in Lima where she placed fifth in the 3,000 metre steeplechase.
She also said the Pan Am games gave her her first experience with high-level racing.
“That was a good experience to see what it’s like to run against those high-level women and I think I will be better mentally prepared to go into the Olympics,” Yee said.
Yee will be joined by Prince Rupert-born athlete Alycia Butterworth and Genevieve Lalonde from Moncton, N.B.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were originally supposed to be held last year but were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Files From Lindsay Newman, MyBulkleyLakesNow