Masters athlete has set Canadian records at least 60 times
By Darren
Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex
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| Muriel Gieni is an all-time great masters athlete in track and field. |
About 23 years ago, Gieni’s son, Morgan, joined the Riversdale Athletics Club. At first, Gieni would drive Morgan to practice and watch him take part in the sport.
One day, Morgan’s coach, Doug Boyd, invited the parents to come out and take part in training. That led to Gieni at the time in her early 40s becoming a regular participant in practice sessions and eventually to taking part in masters athletics competitions.
In over two
decades, Gieni is now 66-years-old and still going strong in the sport. Over
her career, she has traveled all over and broken Canadian masters records in
track and field on at least 60 occasions.
That
included earning 3,852 points in the pentathlon at the Alberta Indoor Games on
Edmonton this past February 4. Gieni’s point total set a new Canadian masters
women’s indoor record for those aged 65 to 69.
“Your life has a journey, and you are rolling along here,”
said Gieni. “What I learned is find what you love to do and do it.
“The second I walk on to a track I’m in my happy place. This
is where I belong. This is where I should be.”
Before
joining the Riversdale Athletics Club, Gieri had an athletic background. She
grew up in a small town and in high school she took part in basketball,
volleyball, badminton and track and field. Like small town athletes in the
current day, Gieri moved from one sport to another as the year went along.
She
remembers back then taking a liking to track and field.
“Our track season was four or five weeks long whatever it
was,” said Gieni, who stands 5-foot-6. “I loved it.
“I loved track and field. It just was very limited to the
time. I didn’t really get proper counselling to further my pursuit in track and
field.
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| Muriel Gieni has set a number of records in triple jump. |
Following
high school, Gieni played volleyball in her post-secondary years as a student. After her
post-secondary school was complete, Gieni continued to stay in shape doing
workouts in the gym.
Upon
getting back into track and field with the Riversdale Athletics Club, Gieni felt
a new motivation in her pursuit to stay fit forming friendships with the
athletes at the club. She enjoyed the youthful energy of the young members who
were in junior high school or high school.
At first,
Gieni saw herself being in the background as the person that was working to
stay in shape and offer words of encouragement to the young athletes in the
club. To her surprise, she received coaching, and she loved it.
“Right away, every single coach I’ve ever had has treated me
like an athlete, and they talk to me like they would anybody in the group
coaching specific technique, coaching specific to me what I need to do,” said
Gieni. “It has been, ‘OK. I’ll ride this wave.’”
Gieni said
the coaching she has received over the years from the Riversdale Athletic Club
and the track and field community as a whole in Saskatoon has been outstanding.
She added the track and field coaches in Saskatoon genuinely want to see the
athletes they work with do well.
As for
track events themselves, Gieni’s favourite is hurdles. Her main disciplines are
hurdles, triple jump and long jump. Over the years, Gieni has picked up shot
put, high jump, the 200-metre race, 800-metre race and javelin in order compete
in pentathlons and heptathlons.
The
pentathlon in masters women’s competitions includes 60-metre hurdles, 800-metre
race, high jump, long jump and shot put. The heptathlon for masters women’s
competitions is made up of the 80-metre hurdles, 200-metre race, 800-metre
race, high jump, long jump, shot put and javelin.
When Gieni
picked up new track disciplines over the years, she usually encounters a local
coach who is an expert in that discipline, and the instruction she receives
helps her performance immensely.
“I’ve always believed a champion is made by the athlete who
buys into the coach,” said Gieni. “If you can coordinate that where your
believing what he or she is saying you have magic.
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| Muriel Gieni takes part in Saskatchewan provincial in July of 2023. |
As a bonus, the Canadian records started to come. Gieni’s
first Canadian record was set in Calgary in the women’s 80-metre hurdles at age
45 in the 45-49 masters age class.
“I was absolutely over the moon, because it means I’m the
first Canadian woman at this age that has ever run this fast,” said Gieni, who
also sometimes has to chuckle when she sets a record. “Then I got into jumping,
and I found out I could set Canadian records in the triple jump and long jump.
“I’ve been very successful in shotput as well. I’ve been
very successful in high jump lately for some reason in my 60s. I’ve over 65.
“I’m jumping higher than I ever did in my 40s. What’s with
that? The things that coaches challenge me with then I ask my body to try it,
and I have actually no idea where this is going to go but sometimes it has been
extremely successful and kind of laughable.”
Over the years, Gieni has cherished the friendships she has made through track and field. Last year, she did regular training sessions in the morning with the elite group on the Track and Field Track on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds that includes Michelle Harrison, Nicole Ostertag, Savannah Sutherland and Madisson Lawrence.
For one morning session last year, Gieni brought a camera to
get photos of herself going through her events. She decided to get a photo of
herself together with Harrison, Ostertag, Sutherland and Lawrence for a
keepsake.
“My relationship with the other athletes is just the joy I
carry around with me,” said Gieni. “I’m taking a picture, because this is who I
am out here training with.
“They like me, but I like them way more. I love these kids.
They treat me really, really well.”
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| Muriel Gieni picked up shot put to enter pentathlons and heptathlons. |
While she enjoys pursuing Canadian records, Gieni stays in track and field, because she flat out loves it.
“It is absolutely my thing,” said Gieni.“I don’t do it to
inspire others, but I do it to charge myself up, and my family loves it.
“They get a big kick out of it. It brings happiness all
around. Fitness brings happiness. You got this where you are feeling good
everyday.”
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