Some athletes dream of winning one gold medal. Airdrie’s Sienna MacDonald has three. MacDonald is a University of Calgary athlete whose talent is turning heads nationwide.
She was recently awarded the prestigious Fred Tees Memorial Trophy for Canadian University Athlete of the Year. MacDonald was a shoo-in for the award.
Last March, MacDonald earned three gold medals in the 60-metre hurdles, the pentathlon, and the long jump at the 2024 Canada West USports Track and Field Championships.
Three gold medals at a single meet is nothing to scoff at. MacDonald is now the second athlete to win more than two medals at a single meet, behind Jessica Zelinka, who won four medals in 2007.
MacDonald competes on the Dinos Track and Field team, whose head coach is none other than Zelinka herself.
The Dinos’ third-place finish at the Championships was thanks to MacDonald, who is undeniably one of the university’s best track and field athletes of all time.
Her status is cemented by her recent entry into the Dinos Hall of Fame. MacDonald’s performance at the Championships is just one of many examples of her athletic excellence.
She began competing in track and field at George McDougall High School in Airdrie.
Since then, she has racked up several achievements, including a gold medal in the 60-metre hurdles at the Simplot Games in 2020 and the gold medal at the National Canadian Track and Field Championships in the open women’s heptathlon event in 2022.
Last year was transformative for MacDonald. She was inducted into the Airdrie Elite Athlete Program, and her accomplishments were added to the Elite Athlete Wall at Genesis Place, Airdrie.
MacDonald isn’t just talented; she is also incredibly humble. Despite her numerous accomplishments, MacDonald was shocked when she won Athlete of the Year.
“When Athletics Canada reached out and notified me that I had won this award, I was…beyond excited that my achievements had been recognized by their committee. When I first read the email, I was almost in tears; I was just overwhelmed with emotions,” MacDonald told Town and Country Today.
Running for Their Lives
MacDonald was one of 16 athletes recognized by Athletics Canada, the national governing body for sports.
“Every single athlete who has gotten this award has made a name for themselves in Canada as a track and field athlete. Hopefully, I can continue that trend and make a name for myself. Definitely the highlight of my athletic journey thus far,” said MacDonald.
You could argue that MacDonald had already made a name for herself at just 22 years old. At the very least, she is well on her way to becoming one of the best Canadian track and field athletes, if not an Olympian.
According to a University of Waterloo study published in July 2024, the average age of Olympic track and field athletes was around 27, regardless of gender.
“We found that most athletes are participating in the Olympics at around the age of 27, and coincidentally, the peak age of these athletes when they reached their time, whether or not it happens at the Olympics, is also 27,” said David Awosoga, the study’s lead author and data scientist student.
In other words, MacDonald isn’t anywhere near her peak and still has plenty of room to grow before we see her on the international stage.
Track and field, specifically running, has become incredibly popular in recent years. The sport grew consistently through the early 2000s before plateauing in the early 2010s.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, running saw massive growth. It was one of the few activities people could still do amid closures and lockdown restrictions.
Running is also affordable, easy, and accessible. Just throw on a pair of shoes and get moving.
Running is also trendy among young adults in their 20s and 30s. According to Strava, Gen Zs make up most of the company’s users.
When Gen Zs and Millennials aren’t running from their problems, they are running half marathons.
MacDonald hasn’t reached her quarter-life crisis yet, but she’s already ahead of the curve, having earned medals at multiple running events!
TheRockies.Life anticipates that we’ll be doing more good news stories about Sienna in the future!
