Barry Wright/The Independent

A Lambton high school track athlete has topped the field at the Canadian Legion Track and Field Championships.

Alex Fortney won gold last Sunday. The Northern middle distance runner crossed the finish line first in a very close 800-metre final at the national championships in Regina.

Fortney, representing the Sarnia Athletics Southwest Track and Field Club and Team Ontario, won in a time of 1:52.11; recording the sixth fastest Canadian time in the 800 in his age group this season.]

He qualified for nationals in 1:54.45 at the provincial Legion event in Sudbury last month.

Running for Team Ontario in the 4×400-metre relay, Fortney and his teammates finished fourth.

Meantime, Sophie Smith of the Sarnia Athletics Southwest Club won silver in the girls’ U18 javelin with a throw of 41.78 metres. The winner had a toss of 41.97 metres.

The local club also had several top ten finishes, including LCCVI’s Kallee Elliott who finished ninth in the girls’ U16 high jump.

And, Chase Capes of the Sarnia Athletics Southwest Track and Field Club was seventh of 12 runners in his 1500-metre heat at the World Athletics under-20 championships in Eugene, Oregon last week.

His time of 3:46.77 was nearly two seconds behind his personal best. He was in the top five at both the 1000 and 1200-metre splits in his heat but in the end did not qualify for Sunday’s final.

Among the youngest athletes in the field, his time was 16th best of 35 runners over the three heats. A personal best time or better would have placed him in the top 10.