Media Room
Press ReleasesJune 01, 2006
Olympic Gold Medallist To Race Jerome 1,500 Metres
Catch her - if you can.
That will be the plan for all entrants in the women's 1,500 metres at the June 8 Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome International Track Classic - featuring the Pacific World Cup dual meet of the People's Republic of China versus Canada.
Olympic 10,000-metre champion Xing Huina leads the field for the women's 1,500 metres at Burnaby's Swangard Stadium. While the race is considerably shorter than the distance Xing covered to win Olympic gold in Athens two years ago, the 22-year-old runner is also most competent over 1,500 metres as a two-time Chinese national champion over the distance with a personal best 4:04.00.
The 1,500 metres has often been a Jerome meet highlight and this year's 23rd annual event is no exception, particularly with Xing's presence in the women's field. Leading the Canadian entries in the event is Kelowna's Malindi Elmore, a finalist at the recent Commonwealth Games in Australia and Canada's top finisher in the 4K race at the 2006 world cross-country championships. Elmore, Canadian champion in 2004, comes into the meet with a 4:02.64 personal best.
Also competing for Canada is Edmonton's Megan Metcalfe, gold medallist at the recent NACAC cross-country championships in Florida and the 2005 NCAA champion over 5,000 metres. Metcalfe, 24, recently ran a 5,000-metre personal best by nearly 10 seconds (15:35.33) at Stanford.
China's Dou Zhaobo, the Chinese record holder and Asian Games silver medallist, leads the men's field in the 1,500 metres. Dou, a four-time Chinese national champion, has a personal best 3:36.49. Canada's Ryan McKenzie, who dipped under the magic four-minute mark in running the mile at the 2004 Jerome meet (3:58.52) is Canada's leader going in to the race.
This year's Jerome meet also features a British Columbia versus Alberta dual meet for athletes aged 23 and under. Competing for B.C. in the men's 1,500 metres is promising 18-year-old Justin Marpole-Bird, recipient of the 2005 Myrtle Cook Trophy as Canada's top male youth (17 and under) athlete.
Marpole-Bird recently finished fourth in the high school invitational 800 metres at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays. In 2005 he won the 1,500, 3,000, and steeplechase events at the B.C. high school championships and went on to reach the final, finishing eighth, in the 1,500 metres at the 2005 IAAF world youth championships in Marrakech.
Meantime, the women's 800 metres, already a formidable race, became even more competitive this week with confirmation of Rebecca Johnstone's entry for the B.C. team. Simon Fraser University's Johnstone recently won the 800 metres at the NAIA championships in Fresno, Calif. Earlier this year at Mt. SAC she recorded an enormous personal best for 800 metres - a 2:01.80 earned in prevailing over American veteran Frances Santin, a semi-finalist at the March world indoor track and field championships.
Johnstone's time was a personal best by more than three seconds. Interestingly, the third-place finisher in that race was China's Liu Qing, the 2005 world No.1-ranked junior over 800 metres. Liu will also race the 800 metres at the Jerome meet as will Canadian and Jerome meet record holder Diane Cummins of Canada.
On the field, the men's javelin looks to be another interesting contest. Veteran Li Rongxiang, who is serving as Chinese men's team captain for the Pacific World Cup, comes in to the event with a personal best 82.29 metres. The Chinese record holder was also a gold medallist at the 2002 Asian Games and is a three-time Asian champion.
Leading the Canadian side in javelin is Canadian record holder Scott Russell of Windsor, Ont., who rewrote his own national record in July 2005 with an 84.41-metre toss. In 1998 he was the world's top-ranked junior male javelin thrower.
The 2006 Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome International Track Classic, featuring the Pacific World Cup, is part of the PacifiCanada Track and Field Series. Other meets in the series: Abbotsford (June 4), Richmond (June 6) and Victoria (June 11).
For media inquiries contact:
Diane Clement
(604) 261-6220 / dclement00@hotmail.com
For athlete information contact:
Marek Jedrzejek
(604) 822-6259 / marekj@interchange.ubc.ca
or
Doug Clement
dclement00@hotmail.com
