12-year-old student breaks 50-year Edmonton Public Schools long jump record

Piper Lee on June 20, 2026. (Curtis Goodrum/CTV News Edmonton)

A junior high school student in the Edmonton area has become the first in 50 years to break the city’s long jump record.

Piper Lee, at just 12 years old, jumped 5.13 metres at the start of the track and field season three weeks ago. The previous Edmonton Public School Board record was 4.84 metres.

She eventually jumped 5.2 metres, breaking her own personal best, at city finals.

She’s been training for four years in running and jumping, but didn’t know there was an attainable record to break until a week before the competitions, she says.

“I kind of just knew that if I really committed, then I could do it … I kind of black out some of the time, but I just try to have a positive mindset,” she said at provincials on Saturday.

“I’m really grateful for all of the support I have from teachers at school, friends, my family, my sister.”

It doesn’t come easily, though. Piper adheres to strength and conditioning training five to seven times a week, not including competitions.

The rainy meet at Rollie Miles Athletic Park brought her, her sister Addison, and her parents, Kelly and Leon, out.

Her parents say Piper has always been inwardly motivated. She has big goals, too – junior nationals, then Team Alberta, and the biggest of all – the Olympics.

“She actually started playing baseball, and was frustrated by the speed of the other kids on the team,” her mom said. “She let us know that she didn’t want to play anymore because everyone else was too slow, and she only wanted to run.”

Her 14-year-old sister also competes – each sister training against one another to be the best.

“Because of (Piper’s) skill level, obviously she runs with me, so we definitely push each other a lot, and it’s helped us a lot,” Addison, who focuses on sprint and pole vault, said.

The Lee family ultimately believes excelling comes from supporting one another, no matter the goal.

“It’s the physical game, the mental game and the nutritional game … If you want to be more, then you probably have to do more,” her mom said.

“It’s really just helping set an example, hard work, being resilient and having that integrity to strive for the best,” her dad added.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum