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Former SMS athlete gets podium finish with Medicine Hat

Jaiden Romanuik earns bronze medal as part of 4x200m team at ACAC Grand Prix event
WES - romanuik runner
Jaiden Romanuik flies around the track during the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference Grand Prix #2 event held Feb. 19 in Red Deer. The former St. Mary School student brought home a bronze medal from the event as part of the 4x200m team.

WESTLOCK – A former standout from St. Mary School has made the jump to collegiate athletics and earned a bronze medal as part of the Medicine Hat College Rattlers 4x200m team.

Now into his second year of studies in the Faculty of Nursing, Jaiden Romaniuk, 20, recently suited up for the Rattlers at an Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference Grand Prix #2 event held Feb. 19 in Red Deer and ran in the 1,000m, 4x200m and 4x400m races. Individually, Romanuik finished just outside the Top 10 in the 1,000m race, winding up in 11th in a time of 3:05.16, while the 4x200m team, of which Romanuik ran the second leg, scored bronze in a time of 1:45.07. Finally, the 4x400m team, with Romanuik running anchor, finished just off the podium in fourth, .40 seconds behind Lethbridge College.

“I’m pretty proud of it for sure. I went there wanting to have fun and didn’t really know what to expect. I definitely surprised myself,” said Romanuik, who was back in town during Reading Week.

The recent, unexpected success has Romanuik pumped for the ACAC Indoor Track Championships which run March 26-27 at the Butterdome in Edmonton.

“It’s definitely got me excited for the next meet for sure,” he added. “I’ve really enjoyed being a part of a team again and being around people who love running as much as I do.”

Despite not running competitively since high school, Romanuik said he’s continued to train as staying fit has always been a big part of his life. And with the recent success, he’s even contemplating joining the Rattlers cross country running team in the fall semester.

“I got invited to come out to some practices and start training with them. I had run into the coach and he had encouraged me to give it a shot as he knew about my history in cross country running and track and field. So, I thought I’d try it and so far I’m really enjoying it,” he said.

Throughout high school Romanuik was a standout cross country and track athlete, specializing in longer distance like the 1,500m and 3,000m races — he finished 18th at the cross country provincials in Grade 11 and scored Top 10 results in both the 1,500m and 3,000m races at the high school provincial track and field championships in 2019.

Aside from his athletics prowess, Romanuik said he’s enjoying Medicine Hat and is living with his grandparents while going to school and plans to stay there until he completes his degree.

“I like the city and really enjoy the program and the people in it. It’s been really good so far,” he added.

George Blais, TownandCountryToday.com

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