It was another week of gold-medal performances for one of the Interlake’s most prominent young athletes.
École Stonewall Centennial School’s Gaia Turner captured gold in the U16 girls high jump at the 2026 Athletics Manitoba Age Class Provincial Championships, held June 26-27 at University Stadium in Winnipeg, clearing 1.52 metres in the final.
The jump not only ranked first among U16 girls but also surpassed the winning heights recorded by the U18 and U20 girls gold medallists.
Turner also set a new personal best, improving on the 1.47-metre jump she recorded earlier this month at the Interlake School Division Divisional Meet, where she broke Lisa Urbanski’s decades-old school record of 1.46 metres set in 1981.
The Grade 8 student represented Predator Athletics Club of Beausejour at the provincial championships.
She later added another gold medal by helping Predator’s U16 girls 4×100-metre relay team, alongside Lacey Learning, Abby Harris and Molly Timshishen, finish first.
Turner also competed in the U16 girls long jump and 80-metre hurdles, earning a bronze medal in the long jump.
By winning the U16 girls high jump, Turner qualified for the 2026 Western Canada Team Challenge but will be unable to attend because of a scheduling conflict with figure skating, another sport in which she excels.
