High jumper Drouin keeps raising the bar
Veteran wins Canadian championship, punching his ticket to the worlds in Beijing
EDMONTON— Derek Drouin loves seeing animated and emotional photos of athletes.
The trouble is, there aren’t many of him, and the champion high jumper can’t blame the photographers for that.
“It’s hard for people to capture those (moments) when I don’t react,” Drouin said. It’s not that the 25-year-old from Corunna, Ont., hasn’t had plenty to celebrate.
He’s set the Canadian high jump record three times, most recently to the world-class height of 2.40 metres; finished his U.S. collegiate career as the most decorated high jumper in NCAA history; won bronze medals at the 2012 Olympics and the 2013 world championships; and took gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
At the Canadian track and field championships Saturday night, it was cool and the wind was so strong that tents and signs were being blown over just as the high jump competition was slated to begin.
It was far from ideal weather for jumping.
Drouin joined the competition at 2.16 and, going against Michael Mason the only other jumper left at that height, made each jump on his first attempt through to 2.31. Then, left on his own, he raised the bar to 2.34, where he missed his first attempt, and made his second to roars of appreciation from the crowd. He tried 2.37 but on this day in these conditions it was too much.
His 2.34 was easily enough to win the Canadian title and secure his trip to the world championships in Beijing in August. And, as usual, when it was over the lanky six-foot-five jumper smiled, waved to the crowed but didn’t go crazy celebrating.
“There are lots of jumps and points in my career that I’m very proud of and very excited about at the time,” Drouin said, talking about his reputation for understated celebrations.
“I guess it’s just that I’ve spent so much time thinking about them and practising for that to happen and dreaming about it, that when it actually happens it just doesn’t seem like this out of the world experience,” he said.
“I don’t get overly high, I don’t get overly low unfortunately, I would say.”
That even-keel attitude may mean his wins and loses aren’t the stuff of sports highlight reels or likely to go viral on social media but, he acknowledges, it may be part of why he’s stayed relatively consistent in a sport where athletes can be hot one day completely psych themselves out the next.
“It’s easy if you’re in a bit of a slump or even plateau to get down on yourself and that comes out in the next meet and you’re going to continue to struggle or if you get too high, it’s easy to really fall off the next time,” he said.
“There are lots of jumps and points in my career that I’m very excited about.” DEREK DROUIN CANADIAN HIGH JUMP CHAMPION
He once told his Indiana University teammates, who were teasing him about never celebrating, that if he ever jumped 2.40, “then I’ll celebrate.”
And when he did hit that height last April he did. Sort of, anyway.
“The one picture where I’m cheering and excited is my 2.40 jump.”
That’s a height, and a photo, he’d like to get back to, and soon.
Drouin hasn’t repeated that Canadian record-setting height. His best so far this year, achieved on Saturday, is 2.34 metres, which is great in Canada but not enough, likely, to secure another medal at the world championships this summer.
But before he even turns his mind to the worlds, he’s looking forward to competing in Toronto at the Pan Am Games. These Games come with a Drouin family twist. It’s the first time he’ll compete in a major competition with older sister, Jillian, a heptathlete.
“I don’t know how it hasn’t happened before,” Drouin said. “Family can come and watch both of us at once, it’ll be a neat experience.”
PAN AM TICKETS: Pan Am Games organizers say new tickets for some “high-demand” events — such as the opening ceremony — will go on sale on Monday.
TO2015 says small blocks of tickets will be available for some previously sold out events — including the opening ceremony, equestrian, basketball, football, diving and athletics.
The organizers say spectators have bought about 750,000 of a million tickets available for the Games.