THUNDER BAY – Amy Stieh has her eyes on the Olympic Games.
A talented runner who has earned spots on both provincial and national-level teams, the Hammarskjold High School student’s exploits on the track also drew the attention of university coaches across North America.
Instead, she plans to stick close to home next fall, agreeing to join the Lakehead University track and field team, where she plans to hone her skills and up her game as one of the top young 400-metre racers in the country.
After weighing her options, the 17-year-old said the hometown draw and the quality of the program at Lakehead pushed the Thunder Bay school over the top.
“It was actually a really tough decision, because obviously there are a lot of good schools in Canada and the States and just in the world in general. But it came down to a couple of things,” Stieh recently said.
“First of all, I’ve been training here. I like what I see. The coaches are really good, super supportive and the team is always there taking care of you.
“And I like the fact that when I come to practice I am 100 per cent confident that I am going to get better that day because I can work as hard as I can and the coaches are going to make sure that I get there.”
Ranked second in the country in the 400-metre and a winner of 2018 OFSAA bronze in her first year in the senior category, the Vikings star, who also played on the girls basketball team, last year was chosen for Canada’s under-18 squad that took part in the Jamaican Invitational, where she finished second in her section and fourth overall with a time of 56.13.
It’s been a lifelong dream to compete, she said.
“I started running competitively really young, in Grade 3. I started going to track meets in Grade 4 and I just liked it because I liked winning – and I would always win,” Stieh said. “But what I liked outside of that, as I got older and I continued doing the sport, I realized that running is an individual sport and as long as I push myself as hard as I can, I know that at the end of the day I’ll better.
“Other people impact me, but it basically comes down to how hard I want to work. And that’s what I like about running.”
Joe McDonough, the track-and-field sprint coach at Lakehead, called it a monumental signing, landing one of the country’s top athletes.
“She finished the year ranked either first or second for her event, so to have an athlete of her calibre commit to Lakehead and stay here and to continue the success that she’s had is beyond exciting,” McDonough said, adding the sky is the limit for his star recruit.
While the Olympics is not on her immediate horizon, Stieh said that’s the ultimate challenge as she prepares to take the next steps in her running career.
“Olympics is always a goal. That’s an awesome goal and I’d really like to get there. I’m going push as hard as I can to get there. But until then, I’m just going to try to be at the top of my game for as long as I can.
“If that means doing really well at the OUA (championship) or making another Team Canada, then that’s what I’m pushing too. And hopefully one day I’ll get to the Olympics.”
