Nystuen ready to take on world
July 5, 2010 - Regina Leader-Post
By Ian Hamilton
Tait Nystuen is a fast learner.
The 19-year-old Reginan took up track and field on a full-time basis only about 18 months ago, but today he's a national champion. Nystuen won the gold medal in the men's 400-metre hurdles Sunday at the Canadian junior track and field championships in Moncton, N.B.
Competing for Regina's Excel Athletika club, Nystuen finished in 51.79 seconds. That was a personal best (his previous best was 53.02) and a provincial junior outdoor record (breaking the mark he held) and earned him a spot in the upcoming world junior championships, July 19-26 in Moncton.
"This has been in my sights for a while now," Nystuen said Sunday from Moncton. "I wanted to make the Canadian team to go to junior worlds ... I finished fourth (in the 400m hurdles at the national junior championships) last year, but two of the guys who beat me were too old this year. I knew I had a shot at it unless there were new guys coming in."
There weren't -- and Nystuen took care of Toronto's Daniel Chan, who also finished ahead of Nystuen in 2009.
"I wasn't sure if I was going to beat (Chan) because he was ranked No. 1 coming in," Nystuen said. "We both ran personal bests today, but I just had more in the tank than he did."
As a result, Nystuen gets to take on the world. Instead of heading to some far-off locale like Poland or China or Jamaica -- places where previous world junior championships have been held -- Nystuen gets to return to New Brunswick.
"I have no idea how Moncton got in there," he said with a chuckle. "But it's still Team Canada. I'm not going to complain at all."
Before taking up track full-time, Nystuen played hockey, rugby and volleyball. He also competed in track while attending Campbell Collegiate, but decided only in Grade 12 that track was his best choice in order to get an athletic scholarship at the University of Regina.
He competed for the Cougars as a rookie last season and helped them win the Canada West men's title. He also ran in the 4x400m relay and the 600m at the CIS championships.
Nystuen credited Alger Seon -- his coach with both the Excel Athletika club and the Cougars -- for helping him win a national title. How the gold medal will help Nystuen in the future remains to be seen.
"I don't think it'll really transfer to my university career, just because it's a different event (than his usual 600m)," Nystuen said. "But it'll be good for my confidence."
One of Nystuen's Excel Athletika teammates also earned a medal at the Canadian junior championships. Kate Kujawa won the bronze Friday in the women's 2,000m steeplechase, finishing in six minutes 55.62 seconds.
Five other Regina-based athletes recorded top-15 finishes at the junior championships.
Ian McLellan of Excel Athletika was sixth in the men's 400m hurdles (55.81), Emma Dyck of Excel Athletika finished fifth in the women's discus (38.08 metres) and 10th in the hammer throw (32.83m), Shalane Haselhan of Excel Athletika placed ninth in the women's long jump (5.20m) and ninth in the high jump (1.60m), Merissa Margetts of Excel Athletika was 12th in the women's 100m (12.55) and 15th in the 200m (25.92), and Ashlynn Simon of the Queen City Striders finished 14th in the women's 800m (2:14.47).