Kira Gupta-Baltazar Represents Canada at World Triathlon
During the second week of September, Grade 11 student, Kira Gupta-Baltazar, represented her country at the World Triathlon Grand Finals in Gold Coast, Australia.
After coming down with a bug only a few days before the event, she still finished 30th to complete her first-ever season of Triathlon. Kira and her Team Canada teammates arrived a week before the race to train and acclimatize, but she unfortunately fell ill during that time and had to be quarantined. Her team contemplated not letting her race, but Kira was determined to make it happen. “I ended up racing and was third coming out of the water; I stayed with the lead pack on the bike, but then the run came and my lack of calories caused me to burn out.” She ended up finishing 30th out of 60 participants.
Having to mentally prepare for the race as she was stuck in a hotel room was not easy. “I did a lot of stretching, as well as homework. My mom also told me not to feel badly for myself, just mentally prepare to race.”
Overall her sickness didn’t damper the trip. “It was a good experience, I met a lot of the older athletes and Team Canada coaches who offered me great advice.”
Kira hopes to compete at Worlds again next year in Lausanne, Switzerland with the help of her coach Barrie Shepley (former coach of Olympic Gold Medal Winner, Simon Whitfield). Her weekly training routine is quite vigorous and includes a varied amount of running, biking and swimming in different intervals daily.
Earlier this summer, Kira competed in the Ontario Summer Games Triathlon in London, Ont. where she finished 1st in the individual event and relay, and went on to finish 11th at the Montreal Sprint Triathlon American Cup later in August. Her typical race distance is 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run.
At CDS, Kira is a member of the High Performance Phys-Ed Program where she takes advantage of scheduling accommodations (for provincially and nationally ranked athletes), which helps her to balance her demanding training schedule.
In addition to her rigorous triathlon training, Kira is also a member of the CDS Cross-Country and Track & Field teams. In Grade 10 she placed 15th at OFSAA in Junior Girls’ X-C, and 7th at OFSAA in the Junior Girls’ 3000m. We wish her all the best for this upcoming season as she competes at the Senior level!Land Acknowledgment
The Country Day School wishes to recognize and acknowledge the land on which the school operates. Our nearest Indigenous Nations are now the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Chippewas of Georgina Island. The Dish with One Spoon Wampum covenant is often cited as an example of the shared responsibility for caring for these lands among the Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples who would call these their traditional territories. CDS respects the relationship with these lands and recognizes that our connection to this land can be strengthened by our continued relationship with all First Nations, by acknowledging our shared responsibility to respect and care for the land and waters for future generations.
School Information
13415 Dufferin Street King, Ontario L7B 1K5
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
