Jonathan Podbielski named Men’s Track Athlete of the Year
Jonathan Podbielski is no stranger to the podium. In his last three seasons with the University of Regina (U of R) Track & Field and Cross Country programs, Podbielski has earned over 15 accolades. With the current season comes two of his biggest awards to date: Canada West Men’s Track Athlete of the Year and the Performance of the Meet award. He recently set a Canada West record at the meet for a 1,500-metre run in three minutes and 45 seconds, the fastest anyone ran for that specific event at the Canada West Championship.
Podbielski ran the weekend of March 8 and placed third, taking home a bronze medal. He was very candid about his race weekend: “I was going for a win, and I ended up actually coming down with a sickness. I threw up eight times during the weekend, so it took me out of two of my three races.”
Before, he had “absolutely no setbacks all season long. No injuries. Like zero on the pain scale. No illnesses all year up until 30 minutes before the most important race of the season so it’s very, very disappointing and very poor timing.”
Podbielski is currently recovering from the weekend’s race. “I’m still in that ‘mourning period’ right now, just from this last weekend, missing U SPORTS nationals. This last weekend and missing that team were probably the two biggest setbacks I’ve ever experienced in the sport. I did my best to move on from what it was and realizing that it’s not a failure unless you completely give up.”
Podbielski’s mental framework is sharp and he presents himself with a maturity that belies his 20 years.
“Obviously, having fun is like something you want to achieve, but like, winning is how you have fun. And that’s kind of like the whole mindset there is: we’re here to win. We’re not here to participate,” he said.
“I’m very grateful for all the experiences, the goal is always to reach the top, and if you’re not, if you don’t believe you can reach the top, then you probably won’t. So that should always be the goal. That’s kind of my mindset behind it. I’ve got a little bit of backlash for saying that just because people think that it’s kind of an arrogant mindset or it’s putting down people who don’t always win. And I don’t think that’s the case.”
Podbielski’s “winners” mindset has definitely served him well over the last three Track and Cross Country seasons, to the point of earning national coverage; Canada Running Magazine mentioned Podbielski in three separate articles between Sept. and Oct. 2023. In three separate power rankings, Podbielski’s name was thrown in as a high individual contender.
“I think the more media recognition you [get], the more you have to lose, the more people expect you to do well versus when you’re kind of the underdog and no one’s really giving you all this media recognition,” shared Podbielski. “Honestly, I prefer to be more like the underdog, I guess, because it’s always better to come out of the shadows and have success that way, rather than try and hold on to success. But regardless, all kinds of experiences are valuable and whether it’s being the underdog or being the favorite, it’s all a good experience. It’s all meaningful.”
If his mindset was not enough to prove his maturity as an athlete, try this on for size: Podbielski was also named the University of Regina Varsity Sport Male Athlete of the Year in 2023. Out of all the nominated male athletes in the U of R’s six male division varsity clubs, he was the top performing athlete.
“Track Athlete of the Year last year was definitely a big accomplishment. It definitely meant a lot, just because there’s so many good football players and obviously, as you know, and so many good basketball players that I was up against, and a lot of them were fifth years, so it was kind of unexpected that they’d give it to a second year over, like, some graduating fifth years who spent their whole time here. But I was really, really honored and really grateful to receive that award.”
Podbielski wasn’t aiming for the award at the start of his sophomore season. “I try to stay away from chasing after things that are subjective because that’s not really where I find the most enjoyment. I kind of like chasing after goals that are solely on me to achieve because I feel more fulfillment in achieving those things rather than a subjective award that might not be chosen correctly. It meant a lot but for me, the big goals are my kind of personal goals, not subjective goals.”
Podbielski says his proudest achievement to date is his U20 National win in the 1,500 metre.
“That’s the one that means the most to me just because that was the year I missed Team Canada, and I was kind of the underdog in that race. There was a big favourite that everyone kind of thought would win, and kind of everyone counted me out. I kind of just proved everyone wrong. I worked really hard that season and earned it.”
So, how does someone like Podbielski, track star and Honours Actuarial Science major, balance all the elements of university life?
“I don’t actually think it’s possible to do everything at once. I think you kind of have to put some things on the back burner at times and move things around. So, when the track season is on, the focus is probably more track than school but as soon as it’s over, my focus switches, and then I try to recover some of my academics. And I’d be lying if I said I haven’t failed a few midterms before, but the point is, you don’t have to be consistent in the 80s, just as long as you recover and kind of learn and make sure everything stays afloat. When you’re really grounded on your long-term goals, it’s less tough when you think about your goals and what you really want long term, then the short-term opportunity of going out sometimes doesn’t hurt as bad.”
Podbielski still has two years left in his U SPORTS eligibility. His long-term goal is to make the Canadian National team: “I’d love to represent Canada at some stage or in some capacity.”
Podbielski’s season has now wrapped up for the year after the March championship weekend. Next up will be the fall Cross Country season happening when classes resume for the Fall 2025 semester.
