Aiden Turner continues to climb up the ranks competing against the world’s best in athletics.
Turner, a 2023 graduate of South Delta Secondary and a Tsawwassen native, will represent Canada Aug. 27 to 31 at the World U20 Athletics Championships in Lima, Peru.
This is an international event for qualifying athletes born prior to Jan. 1, 2005. Athletes must attain a qualifying world standard and must be selected by their country to compete.
Turner will compete in the decathlon.
After training with the Richmond Kayaks Track and Field Club after he graduated from SDSS, Turner now resides in Long Beach, California where he is majoring in mechanical engineering at California State Long Beach University.
He also represents the school in decathlon and well as single events including pole vault, long jump and hurdles.
He currently holds several provincial records, most notably the Canadian U18 decathlon record and the U20 indoor heptathlon record, which he set earlier this year in Spokane Wash.
Turner suffered several setbacks during his outdoor season, which limited his ability to compete and qualify for the U20 Worlds.
His last chance to meet the 7,080-point world standard that would automatically qualify him for the U20 Worlds came at a decathlon event in Long Beach where he won with 7,131 points.
He was officially named to the Canadian Team on Aug. 8.
Joining Turner from the Lower Mainland on Team Canada is Mackenzie Hurtubise a 17-year-old pole vaulter from Langley who competes for the Langley Mustangs Track and Field Club.
She began pole vaulting in 2019 after competing as a competitive gymnast. The skills and physical literacy developed from gymnastics lends well to pole vault.
Mackenzie currently holds the B.C. U18 record and is currently ranked second overall for Canadian pole vaulters. She achieved her personal best result of 4.00m at an event in Toronto on July 21, which qualified her for the U20 Worlds.
