Kardynal reflects on becoming the first Battlefords athlete to win Saskatchewan’s top U16 track athlete

Kardynal said winning the award was unexpected because she didn’t realize it was a provincewide award.

“I previously saw a different Saskatchewan athlete get it, but I never knew what it was. I thought it was for around Regina, not all Sask Athletics.”

Kardynal (right) with Autumn Hannah (middle, female multi event U16 winner) and Elyse Dyrland (left, female field U16 winner) (Image Credit: submitted/Maryska Kardynal)

Kardynal won the award after earning three medals at the Western Canada Challenge in July and competing at nationals in Regina in August.

“Nationals was like a really cool experience,” she said.

Team Saskatchewan Track and Field (Image Credit: submitted/Maryska Kardynal)

“My performance wasn’t the best, but a big goal of mine was to make a final in one of my events. I did that. It was in the 200-metre hurdles. I ended up placing seventh. I tripped on the last hurdle and that definitely put me behind.”

Kardynal said she had to refocus for the final after an emotional moment with her family following her qualifying heat.

“My family was there and I just saw them and their eyes were teary and they made me cry. They were so proud of me, and it was just so cool. But then at the same time, I have to run a final against the best girls out here.”

Maryska Kardynal and family. (Image Credit: submitted/Maryska Kardynal)

Kardynal said getting to know other athletes at nationals was a significant part of the experience, and being bilingual helped with that.

“All the athletes that come from Quebec and being able to actually speak French and then talk to them was super neat. I met a girl that did high jump and I could talk to her, and it was funny because our French here is so different than their French. So they just laughed.”

All the athletes got apparel representing their provinces, which Kardynal said a lot of athletes traded with one another at the end of the event.

“I ended up trading my pants for a girl’s Quebec singlet. This is a good memory of the friend I made.”

Kardynal (left) with an athlete from Quebec. (Image Credit: submitted/Maryska Kardynal)

Moving forward, Kardynal is playing high school volleyball and plans to play high school basketball. She is also participating in the indoor track season as she prepares for next year, when she has her sights set high.

She hopes to win gold at the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association provincial championships.

“Some goals are to get gold at the SHSAA high school provincials. But I am moving up to like U18 this year, so I will be the younger athlete again,” she said.

“I’m hoping during indoor season, I will just get introduced to some of the other people and then see my competition, build strength this year and then really focus on my events.”

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Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com

by Ryan Lambert

Kardynal reflects on becoming the first Battlefords athlete to win Saskatchewan’s top U16 track athlete

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