By: Angelo Lucier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeshore News Reporter
It isn’t every day that a track athlete wins a local medal, and when they do, it’s a moment of joy — a major accomplishment for a young competitor. A regional medal is even more elusive. And a provincial medal? For most high schoolers, it’s just a dream. But not for Ella Steel-Douglas.
Ontario track history has officially been made. Steel-Douglas has tied the record for the most OFSAA medals in a high school career, earning 16 over the past four years — a feat that others have only achieved in five.
Since her debut, she has earned two bronze medals, five silver and an astounding nine golds. Steel-Douglas excels in three events: hurdles, long jump and relay. She has won gold in every short-distance hurdle race she’s entered at OFSAA, including one each year, and took silver in the 300-metre hurdles in 2023. She’s also been a consistent winner in long jump, earning three golds and one bronze — the latter against older competitors. Her dominance in relay events helped solidify her record, with seven medals (two gold, four silver, one bronze) in the 4x100m and 4x400m races.
Steel-Douglas’s achievements haven’t gone unnoticed. Sandwich Secondary School has renamed its annual track MVP award the “Ella Steel-Douglas Award,” ensuring her legacy as a Sabre lives on. Universities across North America also took notice, and Steel-Douglas has announced her commitment to Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C., starting this fall.
In a recent interview with the Post, Steel-Douglas expressed humility and gratitude for her teammates and coaches, saying, “My teammates turned into lifetime friends, and my coaches turned into lifetime mentors with wisdom I will never forget… their positivity shines through the success I have today.”
This year, Steel-Douglas also mentored younger students on the Sabres track and field team, always eager to support novice and junior athletes starting their journey. When asked what advice she had for incoming competitors, she said, “I can say that nothing will be handed to you, and the opportunities that you get are earned through purely hard work and dedication.”
Steel-Douglas’s story is one of triumph, success and remarkable achievement — and she’s only just getting started. She now shares the OFSAA medal record with Olympian Jessica Zelinka. Thirteen-time medalist Jason Sullivan, who ranks third all-time, competed in three Olympic Games and still holds national records in the 1,500 metres and mile. He now serves as head coach at the University of Michigan.
With Coastal Carolina in her immediate future and the potential for international success ahead, Steel-Douglas has earned the high expectations placed on her. If anyone in Ontario track and field history deserves them, it’s the 16-time OFSAA medalist.
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