Dontae Richards-Kwok strikes OUA gold on track

Victoria Alarcon
Sports & Health Editor
Dontae Richards-Kwok knows exactly how it feels to run a 300-metre race with a large crowd cheering behind him and runners chasing after him as he makes his sprint toward the finish line to claim that golden prize.
It’s something he’s been accustomed to since he became the record holder for the men’s 300-metre dash and a flawless track star. This year’s Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships were no different, as he won gold not only in the 300 metre, but in the men’s 60-metre dash and with his teammates in several relays.

“It feels good. I can’t explain it. It’s just an amazing feeling,” said Richards-Kwok after he finished first in the 4×200 metre relay with the help of teammates Oluwole Ogunde and Ingvar Mosley.
Getting prepared for these two days has been nothing but practice, shared the record holder, finding that training really does pay off. “The training I’ve been doing and just trying to push myself has helped a lot. I’m lasting my whole 200 metres and I’m not getting tired at 150 metres,” said Richards-Kwok.
The track star finished the men’s 300 metres in 33.88 seconds, ahead of his competitors by one second; however, that one second makes a huge difference, especially when it comes to track, noted Richards-Kwok. The same applies to the men’s 60 metre, as the York athlete finished the race in 6.76 seconds compared to Windsor athletes Justin Keating and Aaron Bowman, who both finished in 6.84 seconds.
Richards-Kwok got to celebrate his gold medals, but he also got to celebrate making it to the nationals for the men’s 60 metre as he hit the Canadian Interuniversity sports (CIS) standard.
“I’m happy I finally hit the standard for that,” said Richards-Kwok. “Endurance has been a big weak spot for me. You wouldn’t think that because I’m good at the 300 metres, but endurance has definitely been tough for me. I’ve been trying to work on that and get stronger.”
As he gets ready to go to nationals next week, Richards-Kwok says he won’t be changing much in his preparation practice, explaining athletes shouldn’t change their routine because they won’t be able make any dramatic improvements in a week, and that it’s better to just stick to what they’ve been doing.
Though the York athlete is happy with the outcome of the OUA championships this year, he still has to look out for one of his biggest opponents: the Windsor Lancers. The Lancers have dominated the men’s track, and just about everything else. They finished the weekend claiming the men’s and women’s track and field banners, leaving with 224 points for the women and 220 points for the men.
“Windsor is a strong program,” said track and field head coach Colin Inglis. “It’s definitely something we’re aspiring towards, and moving towards. They got a legacy there and it’s something we’re trying to build towards.”
The CIS championships will take place March 10 to March 12, hosted by the University of Sherbrooke.