Championship Weekend
Felicien Jumps for Joy: Perdita Felicien and Priscilla Lopes-Schliep have quickly developed the marquee rivalry in Canadian athletics. Felicien bested the 2008 Olympic bronze medallist in the 100 metre hurdles at the 2009 Canadian Track & Field Championships in Toronto this weekend, only two weeks after Lopes-Schliep took the title on the same track at the Festival of Excellence. Two-time Olympian Angela Whyte took the bronze medal.
Whitfield and Groves Tri Their Best: Olympic triathletes Simon Whitfield and Lauren Groves both reached the podium twice at this weekend’s Elite Cup in Des Moines, Iowa. Whitfield, the 2000 Olympic gold medallist and 2008 silver medallist, won Saturday’s men’s triathlon in a time of 1:49:43. Groves stepped on her first major international podium when her time of 2:01:31 earned the bronze medal. Then the two teamed up with Olympians Kathy Tremblay and Brent McMahon to win the bronze medal in the International Triathlon Union’s inaugural Team World Championship.
Despatie, Ross, Rinaldi Make a Splash: Alexandre Despatie and Reuben Ross made their competitive debut as a synchro diving duo a memorable one, setting a new meet record with 430.23 points on the three-metre springboard at the Summer Nationals diving competition. Melanie Rinaldi was rewarded for years of hard work with her first national title, taking the one-metre springboard crown ahead of three-time Olympic medallist Emilie Heymans.
Double Double: Bryan Barnett made a name for himself at the 2009 Canadian Track & Field Championships, winning both the 100 and 200 metre races. The 22-year-old, who won silver in the 200 metres at the 2006 Junior World Championships, is the first Canadian to sweep the 100 and 200 metre disciplines since 2003. Barnett will be a part of the 4 x 100 metre relay team heading to Berlin for the 2009 IAAF World Championships.
Road Cycling King and Queen: Svein Tuft took his fourth Canadian championship in the past five years, winning the 40 km elite men’s road time trials in a time of 52:8.56. The 2008 Olympian is recovering from a concussion, suffered in a crash at the Tour de California. Tara Whitten made an impression, winning the 20 km women’s elite race in her first season in road racing. She won a silver medal in the criterium at the world track cycling championships.
