‘A unique group of athletes’
Track stars enter national championships on high after Rio success
THE CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA — Damain Warner says he can sense the optimism around Canada’s track and field athletes.
The country’s top athletics stars are in Ottawa this week for the Canadian track and field championships. They enter the competition riding a wave of success from the 2016 Rio Olympics that saw Canada win six medals in athletics, led by sprinter Andre De Grasse’s silver in the men’s 200 metres and bronze in the 100 and 4x100 relay.
Derek Drouin won gold in high jump, while Warner and Brianne Theisen-Eaton won bronze in decathlon and heptahlon, respectively.
“Over the last little while it’s been really cool to see the transition,” Warner said Wednesday. “With Andre, and the relay team and me and Derek and Brianne and (runner Melissa Bishop) doing really well. There’s a whole bunch of other people doing extremely well so it’s kind of cool to be a part of that whole excitement and whole trend and I think it’s going to continue to grow.”
Warner will be competing in hurdles and long jump in Ottawa as a tune-up for the decathlon at the world championships in London next month.
“I’m qualified in the decathlon right now, so I’m looking to come out here and compete,” said Warner. “I won the Canadian championships in hurdles in 2015 so I’d like to get that championship back.”
Glenroy Gilbert, interim head coach at Athletics Canada and 1996 Olympic gold medallist in the 4x100 relay, says it’s exciting to see Canada making a name for itself on the world stage.
“There were some dark times,” said Gilbert, who will be inducted into Athletics Canada’s Hall of Fame Wednesday night. “We’ve won five, eight, six medals at the last three big world events and we’ve never been in that place. This is a unique group of athletes that we have and it’s a unique time for Canadian athletics.”
Being part of Canada’s resurgence on the world stage is added incentive for 25-year-old Genevieve Lalonde, who holds the Canadian record in 3,000 metre steeplechase.
“From the Pan Am Games when they were in Toronto until now and beyond we’ve seen athletes coming from nowhere and breaking into that international scene and doing really well and having those high performances at major championships when it counts,” said Lalonde. “Athletics in Canada is growing and it’s exciting and we’ve got a lot of athletes who are doing well so to be a part of that is just amazing.”
Ottawa track and field enthusiasts will have a chance to see some of the country’s best this week as they compete for the opportunity to represent Canada at the World Championships.
Drouin and De Grasse, who will defend his Canadian 100-metre title and run in the 200, will be joined by Bishop in the 800 metres and Shawn Barber and Alysha Newman in pole vault. Drouin admits there is a challenge following an Olympic year, but he took some time off and feels confident after returning to action, and despite results not being exactly where he wants them.
“I’ve been pretty much on par with where I’ve been at in years past, but I always am expecting more,” said Drouin. “If I didn’t have the experiences of the last couple seasons of I knew this is where I was yet I was able to get to a certain point when it mattered I might be a little bit discouraged.
“I’m an athlete and always expect more, but it’s important to keep yourself in check and realize this is a journey and the real important meets are in a month and a half from now and I’m gearing for that and I’m confident with the progression.”