Switzerland was good to Whitehorse’s Jessica Frotten.
Not only did she post some national qualifying times, she captured a bronze medal at the Daniela Jutzeler Memorial in Nottwil last Wednesday.
How excited was the para wheelchair racer?
“I forgot to get my medal, but I placed,” said Frotten. “They’re going to mail it.”
Frotten won bronze in the 200-metre in the T53 division with a personal best time of 34.41. The 26-year-old finished behind racers from Japan and Bermuda.
“It was so great. To be in that environment with people from all over the world, it was awesome,” said Frotten. “I need to learn some new languages.”
Frotten also placed fourth in the 100-metre with a time of 19.62 seconds and fifth in the 400-metre at 1:08.67 - another personal best.
The Jutzeler Memorial was just her second international competition. Frotten took two fifth-place finishes and set two personal best times at the 41st Swiss Open Nationals in Nottwil a little over a week ago.
“When they announce ‘Jessica Frotten from Canada,’ that’s really cool. I can’t wait to do it again.”
Frotten has registered national qualifying times in events, which puts her in line to compete at the Canadian Track and Field Championships next month in Moncton, N.B.
In Switzerland Frotten set times that qualify her for the 100-, 200- and 400-metre events at the nationals.
She had already qualified for the 400-metre with a time of 1:11.16 - earning her a fourth place finish - at the Desert Challenge Games in Mesa, Arizona, a couple weeks ago.
Frotten also took fourth in the 200 and fifth in the 100 in Arizona with times that would have been personal bests but were ineligible due to illegal winds.
Arizona was the first outdoor competition for Frotten since she captured three bronze medals at the Canada Summer Games last August in Sherbrooke, Que. Frotten competed for Team Saskatchewan, having moved to Regina for the First Steps Wellness Centre, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for those with spinal-cord injuries.
Contact Tom Patrick at tomp@yukon-news.com