MH: What is your team, year and major? 

EH: My team is track and field, so I do the 200 and 400 metres. My major is HKIN and I’m a fourth year.

MH: How did you first get involved with track and field? 

EH: I got involved when I was 13 years old, in middle school. I originally started in cross country and then I got these sheets to sign up for track and field. I begged my mom to sign me up and she agreed. I joined the club and loved it. I did pretty well and I’ve been doing track for about seven or eight years now. That’s how it all started.

MH: Tell us about your favourite track and field moment.

EH: I have quite a few! One of them was in grade 12. The year before, I had a lot of injuries and went through physio because I had tendon issues in my foot. I couldn’t run for about three months. That’s when I started focusing more on the 400m, since I wasn’t necessarily the fastest in the 100m or 200m.

At provincials that year, I had one of the slowest qualifying times and the worst lane assignment. I didn’t think I’d do very well, but I ended up coming second in B.C. at that meet. I ran a three to four second personal best in the 400m, which was huge, especially because it helped me get recruited for university.

Another big moment was just this past April. We were starting our outdoor season in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. My coach wanted me to push my times lower. At first, my races weren’t great—it’s always hard transitioning from indoor to outdoor season. But at the third or fourth meet, Battle of Sparta, I ran a massive personal best. I dropped my time down to 51.92 seconds, which was unexpected. I stuck to my race plan, didn’t worry about the others and it paid off. I won my race, and my coach said I had one of the best performances of the meet.

MH: What are you most looking forward to for the next season?

EH: Quite a few things! Since we’re moving into the NAIA Conference, I’m excited for the outdoor season. My biggest goal is to run sub-50 seconds in the 400m this year. My teammates believe I can do it, my coach believes I can do it and I believe it too. I’m also really looking forward to our 4x400m team. We should have a strong group, and I think we’ll do well in our meets.

MH: What does your future look like after your time at TWU, both in track and field and in your career?

EH: On the sports side, like every kid, I’ve dreamed of becoming an Olympian. I still have a lot of work to do, but the goal is to keep improving, lowering my times and maybe one day competing at the Olympics. We’ll see where it takes me.

For my career, since I’m in human kinetics, I’m considering becoming either a physiotherapist or a kinesiologist. Physiotherapy would mean going to grad school, whereas kinesiology doesn’t always require that. Either way, I enjoy working with people and in the field of athletics, so I see myself staying connected to sports and health in some way.