U18 Canadian Decathlon record holder Aidan Turner signs with Long Beach to continue his athletic career
Hard work and dedication are two things every athlete needs to find success and British Columbia's Aidan Turner has both those qualities and then some.
At the age of nine, Turner's mother, Michaela Colluney, a former high-level hurdler, decided to put her son in a Junior Development program and from then on, his journey to becoming one of Canada's next up and comers began. Being in a JD program allows for young athletes to gain a love for the sport of track and field through introducing them to all aspects of the sport. It was this environment that led to Turner developing his initial interest in multi-events. As he got older, he not only focused on multi-events but multi-sport as well. Being a part of soccer and field hockey teams only served to better Turner as an athlete. No doubt his ability to have success at multiple sports would play a role in his ability to excel in the decathlon.
With the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, Turner, like many other athletes, were forced to put their team sports on hold. Despite this, frack and field stayed a viable option due to it having an individual focus. With his head coach and training facilities being so close to home, the mother and son duo took the lack of distractions the lockdown restrictions provided as an opportunity to train harder than they had before.
When the pandemic eased up and competition began to start up again, Turner entered into his first decathlon in Kelowna. The work he put in during the lock down had paid off as he was able to break the U18 BC record with a total of 6,358 points. It was this initial success that allowed him to see his talent for the multi-events come to fruition. This pivotal performance made him really think "I can do this," and he took the momentum from that moment into his training the following year. Turner worked himself to an even higher level, allowing himself to break the Canadian U18 Decathlon record with a new best of 6,817 points. Not only did he now find himself a Canadian record holder, but he had earned himself a spot on the Legion National team where he finished 2nd in the country, as well as a spot on the Canada Summer Games team that competed in Niagara, Ontario.
All the hard work and success this young athlete has found himself with, allowed for scholarship opportunities to open up. After coming in contact with Long Beach's Head Coach Andy Sythe, he found a connection to form quite naturally. Eventually Turner was invited to visit the team and flew down to Long Beach, California to see what was in store. The strong team comradery he experienced and the homelike feeling the facilities gave him during his visit led to his decision to continue his athletic career at Long Beach State University. We can expect great things to come for Turner during his upcoming collegiate years.