Steel-Douglas ties OFSAA record as Sandwich roars to provincial title

Ella Steel-Douglas capped off a legendary high school track and field career by tying the all-time OFSAA medal record, leading Sandwich Secondary School to the overall team title in a dominant final appearance.

Source: Rob Moore

The graduating senior captured gold in the long jump, 100m hurdles, and 4x400m relay—posting the second-fastest time in OFSAA history—along with a silver in the 4x100m relay.

Her four-medal haul brought her career total to 16, matching the prestigious mark set by Olympic heptathlete Jessica Zelinka who set the mark during her five-year high school career.

“I feel extremely honoured to be on an all-time OFSAA medal list with someone as respectable as Jessica Zelinka,” Steel-Douglas told Powerplay Sports. “I genuinely couldn’t have done what I did without my teammates, and I am forever thankful to be in comparison with the greats.”

Steel-Douglas battled through a grueling schedule over the multi-day meet, competing in multiple events with little time to recover or reset.

“Tying the record took lots of composure, precision, and focus,” she said. “I am proud of myself for being able to execute all those things well at OFSAA. I’m honestly happy to leave a legacy and hope it can lead by example for other girls in track and field.”

The Sabres were stacked with elite talent. Fellow graduate Jaela Bailey also wrapped up her high school career with 11 OFSAA medals. Their combined efforts helped Sandwich leave a lasting impression at the provincial championships.

“Emotional,” is how head coach Rob Moore described the championship moment for the girls’ team. “The hard work those kids put in—it was exciting to watch them perform and excel. It’s hard to do what they all did in a weekend.”

Moore praised the team’s perseverance and pointed to the gold-medal 4x400m relay as a perfect finale. Despite the team's busy schedules, they dug deep and pulled off the second fastest time in OFSAA history closing out the meet in memorable fashion.

Moore was emotional when greeting the team because their hard work was rewarded and, for some, it was the last meet of their high school career. “I was crying,”

Pic sources: Rob Moore, Sacha Steel-Douglas