Hayley Francois equalled her older sister’s Grade 10 gold medal totals during last weekend’s provincial debut with the Paul Kane Blues.
“It’s pretty special. I’ve wanted this because Rachel has done it before,” said Hayley, the gold medallist in the junior girls’ 800 and 1,500 metres at the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association track and field championships at Foote Field. “It’s also a name I have to live up to so it’s a good feeling.”
While her younger sister was tearing up the track, Rachel capped an impressive high school career with a gold medal in the senior 800m.
“I’ve been at the school for three years so it’s kind of sad that it’s over but it was a nice way to end it,” Rachel said of her fourth gold and fifth medal at provincials with the Blues. “It’s awesome running for your school. I love it because it’s different than running with your track club. It’s a new crowd of people you’re running for. It’s also nice when your name is announced [at school] and you get recognition for doing track.”
Her medal haul included last year’s record-breaking 2:12.89 performance in the intermediate 800m.
“I was expecting to run a lot slower than that so that was a huge confidence booster,” she said. “It was good to actually break a record. It showed me at that point what level I was at.”
On a blustery Friday afternoon Rachel finished her last race for the Blues in a time of 2:13.22.
“The conditions weren’t very good but I really wanted the record [2:11.80 is the provincial mark in the 800m] so I decided to take it out anyways. I went through the first 600 really fast. It was just the last part that really got to me,” said the 800m competitor at the 2009 Canada Summer Games. “I ended up running alone and I was being run down by the second place girl [Nicole Bauer of Lord Beaverbrook finished at 2:15.64], who I’m not use to racing against, so I was kind of running scared I guess.”
Her personal best in the 800m is 2:10.
“My time [at provincials] wasn’t as fast as I would like it to be but I was still very happy with it. I just really wanted to guarantee the win,” said the multiple medal winner in three trips to the Royal Canadian Legion nationals.
In Grade 10, Rachel swept the junior finals in the 400m (57.40) and 800m (2:16.41). Her sister was equally as fast in the 800m (2:22.47) and 1,500m (5:01.67).
“We’re very different runners. She has more speed so she does very good in the 800. She is just a stronger person generally but I can do longer distances than her,” Hayley said. “I like the 800 better but I think the 1,500 I’m stronger at.”
Hayley, 16, established season bests in both events at provincials.
“I ran harder in the 800 because in the 1,500 the pace seemed a little bit slower but both races felt pretty good,” she said.
Hayley is also an accomplished cross-country runner and was recognized by Athletics Alberta as the top midget female in 2010. Her sister won the same award in 2007.
“It was a good feeling to get that award because cross-country isn’t really my favourite thing but I’ve really worked hard at it. I wanted that award so I managed to train really hard and I won provincials,” Hayley said.
The sisters’ father, Andre, was also honoured by Athletics Alberta as the top male in the masters division. The 47-year-old is somewhat of a legend in track circles.
“He has a few Canadian titles. He is the world champion right now for indoors in the 200 metres,” Hayley said.
This weekend the members of the Edmonton Harriers Track and Field Club are in Calgary for the CALTAF Track Classic. It’s a qualification meet for the Legion nationals and Western Canada Summer Games in August.
Rachel will also attend senior nationals later this month in Calgary while working her way towards the U19 junior nationals in Winnipeg in early July. As a 15-year-old, she placed 12th overall in the 400m and 17th in the 800m at her first U19 nationals.
