Seventeen-year-old track star Sienna MacDonald is going places.
The Grade 12 George McDougall student has obliterated expectations by placing second in the U18 100-metre hurdles and heptathlon at the Legion Nationals 2019 in Nova Scotia last August.
She says although she was a gymnast growing up and has played basketball and soccer in the past, track is her favourite sport.
“Track meets are absolutely amazing; the feeling you get when getting into the blocks is incredible!” she says.
“And once you start running, it’s like you’re flying. It’s just a great feeling.”
Perhaps most impressive is the fact that MacDonald has only been training in track for six months.
“Sienna took off at an unprecedented rate,” says Ryan Haggarty, George McDougall teacher and track coach.
“She is a very gifted athlete and has the ability to succeed and do well internationally for Canada, not just for Airdrie.”
MacDonald attributes her incredible success to her willingness to work for it.
“Hard work is a key part of being a good athlete. An athlete that has talent but no work ethic won’t necessarily get as far as an athlete who has a great work ethic,” she says.
She plans to compete in the U20 category of the Legion Nationals 2020.