Image
Rob Ross Photo
Kole Chapman won OFSAA gold Saturday, June 7 in the 300M Junior Men's Hurdles with a time of 40.33 seconds.

Chapman ‘pushed as hard as I could’ to win OFSAA gold

June 9, 2025

The Independent

Kole Chapman knew he had to “push as hard as I could” to win gold at the provincial track and field championships.

Saturday, he did.

Kole Chapman says his sixth place finish in the 100M Hurdles Friday, June 6, 2025, drove him to push even harder in the 300M event. Rob Ross Photo

The LCCVI Junior posted his personal best of 40.09 seconds in the 300M Junior Boys Hurdles heats to lead the pack and then placed first in the finals with a time of 40.33 seconds with less than a half second separating Chapman and the top four runners.

“This feels great,” Chapman said after taking the podium to claim gold. “I feel really good right now about all of the progress I’ve made throughout the year.”

LCCVI’s Kole Chapman stands atop the podium after winning gold in the Junior Mens 300M Hurdles. Kaelan Ramprasad of Scarborough placed second and Sebastian Kwasnicki of Coburg placed third.

Chapman said he’d been practising with his coaches Sara Krawetz and Ed Allen every night after school with memories of last year’s track season fresh in his mind. He didn’t not advance past SWOSAA as a novice last year.

In training, the teen says it has been “just hard work; working on my steps in between the hurdles, getting my trail tow down faster and driving through the hurdle.

“As I got better throughout the year, my coaches were telling me that I had a good chance. I started feeling I had a chance coming through the last few meets,” he said.

Chapman already had the drive to improve over his results last year, but finishing out of the medals in the 100M also drove him to gold.

“My sixth place in the 100 (hurdles) pushed me to get top three at least today.

“I knew I had to push – push through because I wasn’t sure how far everybody was behind me. So I had to push as hard as I could in my last race of the year.”

Meantime Hunter Campbell, who placed in junior discus last year, finished seventh this year.

Hunter Campbell placed seventh in the Senior Men’s Discus at OFSAA June 7, 2025. Rob Ross Photo


“(It’s) not the outcome I wanted, but it’s been a good season. I’ve been making PBs (personal bests, making improvements. I was really consistent today which I like,” after throwing 49.94m Friday.

Campbell has appeared at four provincial championships, winning gold in his junior year. It was the same year he won silver at the National Championships.

Hunter Campbell placed seventh in the Senior Men’s Discus at OFSAA June 7, 2025. Rob Ross Photo

“I’m very happy with how I’ve done throughout my high school career. I want to thank the Lord, my parents, my coaches. It’s been a great ride. Knowing this will be the last time I’ll be a Lancer really hurts. I love my school. I take pride being a Lancer.”

Meagan Munro also competed at the provincial championship, placing 12th in the Junior Women’s 80M hurdles with a time of 12.78s and 13th in the 300M Junior Women’s Hurdles with a time of 47.56 seconds.

Meagan Munro placed 13th in the 300M Junior Women’s Hurdles at the provincial championships June 6, 2025. Rob Ross Photo

Kinser Rivest of Lambton-Kent Composite School in Dresden placed 16th in the Junior Men’s Long Jump Saturday with a leap of 5.92m – that was just 40 centimetres off the winning leap.

And North Lambton’s Emma Smith did not start in her 800m Women’s Intellectual final Saturday.

  • with files from Reporter Rob Ross

Share This

Image
Front Page

Petrolia’s Leighton joins Red Wings

July 10, 2025

Barry Wright/The Independent Michael Leighton is heading across the Detroit River to continue his coaching career. After three seasons as goaltending coach with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, the Petrolia native has been hired as the new goaltending coach with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. Originally a sixth round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1999, he played more than 700

Read More

Image
Front Page

Campbell House likely to stand until fall: SCRCA

July 10, 2025

Heather Wright/The Independent A year and a half after Brooke-Alvinston council gave up the battle to save Campbell House from demolition, it’s still standing. And officials with the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority says it probably will be until at least the fall. The fate of the historic farm house at Alvinston’s AW Campbell Conservation Area has been hanging in

Read More

Image
Front Page

Classic cars on display in Alvinston

July 10, 2025

The Independent Well over 55 cars and antique tractors lined River Street in Alvinston on Sunday for the annual car show hosted by Brooke-Alvinston and the Alvinston Royal Canadian Legion branch. Despite the high temperatures, people stopped to look at some of the classics. The event is part of the community’s Canada Day celebrations.

Read More

Image
Front Page

Packed crowd for Florence Tractor Pull

July 10, 2025

The Independent The stands were full as hundreds came out to the Florence Tractor Pull on Friday, July 4. Here’s some pictures from the event:

Read More