Past: West Point Grey Academy Wolves and Thunderbirds Track Club
Present: Rashpal Dhillon Track and Field Oval
Future: NCAA Div. II Simon Fraser University Clan
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Sprinting is a showman鈥檚 game of boastful bravura. Katherine Lucas, a 100- and 200-metre specialist who won silver in both races at the B.C. high school championships in May, has more subtle ways to intimidate.
鈥淪he wants to get you but she won鈥檛 let you see it,鈥� said Andrew Cooke, the head coach at the Thunderbird Track Club for the past year. 鈥淭hose people are sometime the best because nothing shakes them. And Katherine is chill, cool. When you see her run, it鈥檚 like art in motion. She has such a smooth stride and that can鈥檛 be taught.鈥�
A runner who 鈥済allops鈥� and doesn鈥檛 enjoy even the minimally longer distance of 400 metres because a full lap of a track requires pacing over raw speed, Lucas is poised to break out next season at Simon Fraser University with the NCAA Clan and coach Brit Townsend, an Olympian.
鈥淜atherine is one of the top ranked sprinters for her age in Canada and we are thrilled to have her at SFU,鈥� said Townsend, a coaching veteran of 20 years.
Born in Hong Kong to English parents, Lucas grew up in that city and in Muscat, Qatar before moving to 麻豆传媒映画in Grade 4. Her accent comes through faintly on the vowels of some words.
Her quiet confidence is growing as she improves her personal best performances and edges closer to breaking the 12-second mark in the 100m sprint. She has clocked in at 12:03 鈥� 鈥淚鈥檓 just so close to it!鈥� 鈥� in the 100m and 25.19 seconds in the 200m. She does not yet get out of the blocks as fast as some opponents but uses this drawback to fuel her race strategy.
鈥淚 like catching up and gaining on people. It鈥檚 fun. It鈥檚 a challenge. I feel like I start from behind, so it鈥檚 about proving you can do something,鈥� she said. She is constantly duelling Zion Corrales Nelson, a St. Thomas More sprinter who took gold ahead of Lucas in both races at the high school championship and who she sees often at private school and club meets through the season.
鈥淚 like competition. I change when I鈥檓 on the track,鈥� said the 17-year-old coached at school by Sean Dawson.
Although reserved in large groups, Lucas opens up one-on-one and is curious about her world. Her speed on the track is coupled by determination. 鈥淚n practice, you feel free and you clear your head when you鈥檙e running on the track. In the actual race, you鈥檙e showing people what you can do, which I like. You鈥檙e making your statement.鈥�
Last season she began strengthening new muscles, ones that grow in stillness.
鈥淎 big part is the mental part, envisioning that you can do it. So, I focused on visualization and having a positive thought process 鈥� saying, 鈥業 can do this. I can stay with them out of the blocks, and I know I can beat them. I鈥檝e trained for this, I鈥檓 ready for this.鈥欌��
That self-talk is all internal. Lucas isn鈥檛 one to brag.
But on her behalf, Cooke will: 鈥淚n sprinting, you have it or you don鈥檛 鈥� and she has it.鈥�
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