Golden finish at Pan Am U20s for Oakville distance runner

With the gold medal in site, Oakville’s Riley Flemington kicked it into overdrive and blew away the field at the Pan Am U20 Championships in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico this past weekend.

The Appleby College graduate took home gold in the 1,500m men’s final, finishing first with a time 3:50.70. The 19-year-old put some good distance between him and his competitors, finishing more than a second ahead of Gonzalo Gervasini of Uruguay.

Flemington’s performance even caught the attention of one Oakville MP.

“Woohoo! Congratulations to #Oakville’s own @riflemington on winning the gold medal at the Pan Am U20 Championships in the 1500m Men’s Final,” said President for the Treasury Board Anita Anand on Twitter.

“An incredible race and a mark of your perseverance and sportsmanship! Great work!”

Woohoo! Congratulations to #Oakville’s own @riflemington on winning the gold medal at the Pan Am U20 Championships in the 1500m Men’s Final. An incredible race and a mark of your perseverance and sportsmanship! Great work! pic.twitter.com/lmEfAzBKI2

— Anita Anand (@AnitaAnandMP) August 7, 2023

Gervasini finished with a time of 3:51.79 to earn the silver medal, just ahead of Uriel Rodrigo Munoz  of Argentina who captured the bronze with a time of 3:51.91.

Flemington is set to begin his second season as a distance runner at the University of Michigan.

The Oakville track athlete won the men’s U20 1,500 meter preliminary to automatically qualify for events finals. He took second in the final (July 29) after a head-to-head race with Jonathon Podbielski in a time of 3:49.80.