While the former world champion from Pickering, Ont., has captured seven Canadian titles, No. 8 is far from a given this time because suddenly Felicien has some serious competition.
Felicien, who’s making a comeback from a foot injury that kept her out of the Beijing Olympics, and Priscilla Lopes-Schliep of Whitby, Ont., who raced out of Felicien’s shadow to capture bronze in Beijing, will battle in the women’s 100-metre hurdles this weekend at the revamped Varsity Stadium in what promises to be one of the sport’s great rivalries.
“Usually when I come to nationals, no disrespect but it’s always a meet that’s hard for me to get pumped for, after you win four, five, six, seven (titles). . . it’s a little routine,” Felicien said at a news conference Thursday. “But this year it’s definitely going to be different and I’m excited about the competition.
“Also, the competition is like no other, I’m not just going to walk in there. . . it’s not necessarily the house that Perdita built anymore, I have to work really hard and try to pull off this win.”
Felicien holds the Canadian record of 12.46 seconds, set in 2004. Her quickest this season is 12.78, but her time has come down virtually every race out. Lopes-Schliep boasts the fastest time in the world this year – her personal best of 12.52 she ran in May.
Felicien, whose mom named her after a “Price is Right” contestant, and Lopes-Schliep, named after Elvis Presley’s wife, will both be strong medal hopes for the world championships in August in Berlin.
Alex Gardiner, the head coach of Athletics Canada, likens the Canadian rivalry to that of long-track speedskaters Susan Auch and Catriona Le May Doan in the late ’90s.
“They pushed each other continually to the podium on the Winter Olympic side,” Gardiner said.
Both hurdlers are expected to have huge cheering sections of family and friends at Varsity Stadium this weekend, and it’ll be tough to miss them. They’ll be clad in matching T-shirts. Lopes-Schliep said her’s will bear her name and a photo of her from the Olympics. Felicien won’t divulge the plans for her shirt.
“I’ll let the suspense kill you all,” she said, laughing.
Felicien arrived at Thursday’s news conference wearing a T-shirt that said “Training is the opposite of hoping,” a slogan she said perfectly matches her mindset since coming back from the stress fracture that kept her off the track for the entire outdoor season last year.
“For me, this is it, you can hope you do good, or you can go out on the track and be about it. That’s what I’ve been doing the last few months,” Felicien said.
“My appetite for competition is so voracious these days, I’ll race anybody at any time, anywhere, that’s been my mantra of late,” she added. “I just want to compete. If it’s raining, if it’s a tornado, I don’t care.”
Among Lopes-Schliep’s cheering section this weekend: Toronto FC midfielder Dwayne De Rosario. The two are cousins, their mothers are sisters.
Lopes-Schliep said the rivalry with Felicien is a good thing for both hurdlers.
“It’s going to be a little showdown,” said Lopes-Schliep. “These are the moments that make me as a hurdler a stronger person. You don’t back down from things, you live up to them, and that’s what makes you who you are.”
Both athletes say it’s important to keep the rivalry friendly – that is, as friendly as any rivalry can be.
“When I’m here, I can be peppy, I can be friendly, I can be cordial, I can have lunch with anybody. But when I get on the track, I really see red, I can’t stand anybody, that’s my personality, my competition is the enemy,” Felicien said. “But I want to keep it healthy and keep it civil because we’re Canadian and I think it’s a great thing for our sport, and if kids are watching us and we’re examples for them, we have to keep it positive.”
Added Lopes-Schliep: “Personally I don’t hate anybody, I just use it as a push, a drive to keep going, because for years I was the dark horse, nobody knew who I was or what I did.”
The Canadian track and field championships determine the team for the world championships. Other athletes to watch include Gary Reed of Kamloops, B.C., who finished fourth in the 800 metres at the Beijing Olympics, and Dylan Armstrong of Kamloops, B.C., who was fourth in the shot put in Beijing.
News from ©The Canadian Press, 2009
