Taking the Provincial Cross Country Running Championships by storm, Salmon Arm Secondary junior runner Emmy Sim placed second overall, finishing with a time of 16:53, just shy of the provincial champion who clocked in at 16:40.
It was only in the last 400 metres that Sim’s opponent pulled ahead with an impressive kick to take top spot Saturday, said coach Tricia Martin.
The provincials at the Telemark Cross Country Ski Club trails in Kelowna was another of many successful competitions for Sim, who recently won the Okanagans held at Larch Hills. Younger sister Glynis, a Grade 8 student at Shuswap Middle School, fared very well also, finishing not long after her older sister and placing 23rd with a time of 17:40.
“Boy was it exciting,” said Martin. “We were all jumping up and down when we saw Emmy and then Glynis just behind her.”
There were 280 female runners overall.
In the boys competition, Thomas Hardy was the first of the SAS teammates to pass the finish line, placing 69th out of 286 runners at 26:29. He was followed by SAS runners Cole Smith in 93rd at 27:04, Brady Roy in 116th at 27:29, Don Robinson in 119th at 27:31, James Whitehead in 127th at 27:43, John Connor in 136th at 27:51, Jon Bakker in 153rd at 28:08, Caleb Leyenhorst in 157th at 28:13 and Kyle Flatman in 173rd at 28:28.
Just 18 points shy of the 10th spot, the SAS boys’ team finished 11th out of 30 teams overall at the Provincial Cross Country Championships.