Turner, Denbow compete for Manitoba, Canada

The last month for Daxx Turner has been nothing short of eventful.

The 23-year-old Neepawa product is recently coming off his 10th flight in just a month after competing in track at the FISU World University Games in Germany and the Canada Summer Games in St. John’s, N.L.

“It was definitely a lot of travel,” said Turner on Tuesday. “The range of experiences was quite interesting… Coming from such a high in Germany to going straight to our national championships and having to kind of battle some conditions in St. John’s was quite the variety of experiences.”

The conditions Turner and his fellow competitors had to face in Newfoundland were far from ideal.

The weather was either chilly, windy, or rainy during competition days, which forced Turner to make some adjustments, but it didn’t bog him down all that much.

Turner notched two medals for Manitoba at the Games, earning himself a gold medal in the triple jump with a score of 15.39 metres and a bronze in javelin with a 9.05-metre throw.

“Despite the variances, I think I still showed up as the athlete that I am, and I’m pretty happy with that,” he said. “I was able to stay pretty consistent, mentally competing throughout most of them.”

Heading into the Games, Turner believed his chances of medalling were high, as long as he trusted all the training and practice he put in over the season. He said he felt a lot less pressure during javelin because it’s not his main event, but that he felt some heat during the triple jump because he knew he could win.

“It was so hard to actually get into a rhythm,” said Turner, who trailed in Round 5 of the triple jump. “I wasn’t in the lead, and I was pretty stressed out.”

Turner had to “go through a whole kind of mountain and valley” to catch up, but he eventually landed gold while also scoring less than a metre short of the Games record (16.26 metres).

“If you told my younger self (that I won gold), I maybe would have asked what took so long,” Turner said with a chuckle.

At the 2022 Canada Summer Games in Niagara, Turner came up just short of a first-place finish, earning himself a silver medal. He’s glad he was able to execute his goals this time around.

“The last few years, I’ve definitely learned how big of a gap it can be between where you are and where you want to be,” said Turner. “I’m very grateful to finally be crossing that.”

Where Turner really climbed up another branch in his career was in Germany at the World University Games.

He said he distinctly remembers getting to the track the first day of competition and feeling a little self-conscious about himself, worried that others were looking at him until he realized everyone there is at the same level and focused on doing their own work.

Turner’s restored confidence helped him to a fourth-place ranking in his qualifying group and seventh overall out of 32 athletes in the preliminary round. Although Turner fell short of a podium position after placing ninth in the final 12, he’s proud of the way he competed on an international stage.

“On some level, I feel like I could have medalled, but I was super happy with my performance there nonetheless,” he said. “Especially being on a national team like that and being able to compete against so many people from around the world with Canada on my chest, it was definitely a dream come true. It was super surreal.”

Moving forward, Turner won’t start competing again until around January hits, but his big goal for next year is to compete in the Commonwealth Games.

“I feel like I know I’ve got more to give, more to see, and a higher level of mastery to achieve,” Turner said.

Lara Denbow, another track star from Neepawa, also attended both Games.

In high jump in St. John’s, Denbow tied for second place after racking up a 1.70-metre score, while in Germany, she placed 14th out of 25 athletes.

The 21-year-old member of the Bisons, who’s gathered five gold medals over her time at nationals, said competing across the world was one of the best times of her life.

“It was just an incredible experience,” she said. “I was just so happy to be competing on the world stage. It’s something I had always dreamed of, but just the fact that I actually got there was incredible.”

Denbow had some nerves prior to jumping, but she believes that may have helped her in the long run.

“The nerves were helpful. Nerves can be a hindrance, but they can also be energy, especially if you have the experience to know what kind of nerves are good and to just know how to shape your mentality,” she said. “I think I went in with a good mindset.”

Her experience competing against the best gave her an extra boost headed into national competition, which she said helped her land silver and be one of Manitoba’s 12 medallists at the Games.

Denbow said a big part of what has kept her in the sport for more than 10 years is the commitment to pursuing excellence.

“It’s a decision you make when you show up day after day. That’s how you get better, just continuing to show up and put in the work.”

» mdelucataronno@brandonsun.com