Athletes from Steinbach Regional Secondary School are celebrating a big win after 17-year-old Leif Reimer brought home the gold medal in high jump at the 2026 Dairy Farmers of Manitoba Provincial Track & Field Championships. The Grade 11 student from La Broquerie cleared a personal best of 192 centimetres, improving his previous top mark by about 13 centimetres. The achievement was announced on the SRSS news page on June 15, 2026.
Competing in the Varsity Boys category, Reimer had to overcome a mental block as much as a physical one. The bar was set at challenging heights, which can be intimidating for any jumper. “I knew I could jump well,” Reimer said. “I just needed to get past the psychological challenge of clearing a height taller than myself.”
Reimer’s journey in high jump started back in middle school, where he quickly found his talent. He won gold in both grades 7 and 8, and even beat the high school record held by his grandfather in Grade 7. After a tougher Grade 9 season where he reached the provincial finals but didn’t make the podium, the provincial gold marks a major comeback and a personal milestone.
The 2026 championships brought together over 1,500 student athletes from across Manitoba. The Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association oversees the event, which is sponsored by the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba. For the S.R.S.S. Sabres, Reimer’s podium finish adds to a strong end-of-year highlight for the school’s athletics program.
Looking ahead, Reimer intends to keep jumping through Grade 12 and has already been invited to join a track club, with university athletics also on his radar. For now, Steinbach residents can be proud of a local athlete who cleared a big personal hurdle and brought home provincial hardware.
