ACHILLES’ ATHLETES OF THE MONTH-August 2009
OLYMPIC DIVISION
Gary Reed
Gary Reed
As predicted getting through the heats and semis in Berlin was a challenge. With only 2 to qualify in each round, advancing to the finals would take luck, which Gary did not have this time. World and Olympic competitions are definitely a different game when “pacemakers” are out of the formula. Gary placed exactly where he ranked on the start list as it turned out 10th spot. In Zurich he place 5th and in Bruxelles (click for video)took the bronze medal ahead of the World Champion, Mbulaeni Mulaudzi of South Africa. This event is perhaps the most difficult to predict as on any given day the top 10 can change places.
Priscilla takes Berlin!
Priscilla Lopes-Schliep
Priscilla proved once again that she is our best athlete as she moved up a notch from Beijing with her silver medal to be our sole podium finish in Berlin. Perdita Felicien made the Berlin final but ran into bad luck with “cramps” at the start. Later she defeated Priscilla in Zurich taking the bronze in 12.61 and is ranked 7th in the world behind Priscilla’s 2nd place position. Priscilla ran her pb of 12.49 in Bruxelles (click for video)with a narrow loss to Brigitte Foster-Hylton of Jamaica , the World Champion. The 100m hurdles is clearly our best event as we rank number 3 in the world behind Jamaica and the US.
JUNIOR DIVISION
Gabriel El Hanbli
Gabriel El Hanbli takes the under 20 category with his 51.47 pb in the 400h hurdles and his gold medal in the Canada Summer Games. Gabriel, from Repentigny, Quebec took 5th place in the Pan American Games Junior Championships. He has improved almost 2 seconds from his 2008 best of 53.48
Julie Labonte
Julie Labonté of Ste-Justine, QC won the Canada summer Games with her16.23m. She had set the Canadian Junior record as she won the 2009 Canadian Junior Championships with 16.39m. She also took the silver Medal at the Pan American Junior Championships in Trinidad. Last fall she was the winner of Eric E. Coy Memorial Trophy – Outstanding Junior Athlete of the Year as she won the gold medal in shot put at the Commonwealth Youth Games by throwing 15.02m.
YOUTH DIVISION
Akeem Haynes
Akeem Haynes of Calgary wins the 17 years and under section with his Canada Summer Games victory in the 100m with his 10.47 (1.3). This high school student at Crescent Heights is ranked 10th in the world in the Youth division. He has a pending Canadian Youth record of 21.48 in the 200m. This was his first year of full sprint training after playing football.
Katie Reid #65
Katie Reid of Surrey, BC won the gold at the Canadian Youth Championships in the 400m and has a pb of 54.90. This grade 10 student at Earl Marriot Secondary took the bronze at the Canada Summer Games. This 16 year old Ocean Athletics speed star was edged by another runner of the same age, Carly Paracholski of Manitoba in Charlottetown but defeated her in Sherbrooke
