91原创

When results of his many athletic achievements have been written up, 91原创鈥檚 Mitchell Gibbs is usually recorded as a Surrey athlete.

It isn鈥檛 completely wrong.

While he hails from Walnut Grove, Gibbs has won his honours while competing for Surrey鈥檚 Pacific Academy, and more recently, for the Vancouver Thunderbirds track team鈥檚 Surrey training group.

And the honours have been considerable, among them, Gibbs bringing home multiple medals as a Zone 3 team member in the 2018 BC Summer Games in the Cowichan valley, and as a Team BC Member at the 2018 Legion National Youth track and field championships.

Now, he will be running, and jumping, under an athletic scholarship to UBC, which put the welcome mat out on Twitter in late January.

Welcome Mitchell Gibbs to the horizontal jumps group!

鈥� UBC Track & Field (@ubctrack)

Julie-Anne Sillars, Pacific Academy high school track and field head coach, watched Gibbs develop into a nationally ranked athlete in 100m, 200m, and long jump events, but it was his off-the-field character that really impressed.

鈥淚 have seen him countless times while at the track volunteering to help the BC officials set up mats, rake, measure and generally fill in if there is a need at all of the meets that we attend,鈥� Sillars said in a letter of support for another scholarship application by Gibbs.

READ ALSO: 91原创鈥檚 Monro to run for SFU

READ ALSO: 91原创鈥檚 Cohee gets the call to play for Canada

鈥淎t the end of every race/event he partakes in he ensures to go up and shake his fellow competitors鈥� hands, whether it is a win or a loss, and also takes the time to thank the volunteer officials as well. He is well liked and respected by all.鈥�

Thunderbirds coach Iuliana Kroeger described Gibbs as a 鈥渟tellar鈥� student who is a 鈥渓eader in school and on the track.鈥�

鈥淔rom the beginning, he looked like an athlete with potential,鈥� Kroeger told the 91原创 Advance Times.

John Gay, manager of the Vancouver Thunderbirds club, called Gibbs a 鈥減recocious and determined鈥� athlete, citing a motivational video that Mitchell created during the height of lock-down restrictions 鈥渋n which he admonished his teammates and the wider community to stay active and embrace their circumstances for the best.鈥�