Media Room
Press ReleasesJune 09, 2006
Dual Meet Concept Begins Countdown To 2008
Two Canadian sprinters scored international victories Thursday night at the meet that honours one of the country's greatest sprinters to ever speed down a track.
Erica Broomfield and Neville Wright won the women's and men's 100 metres at the 23rd annual Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome International Track Classic at Swangard Stadium. The annual meet is named in honour of 1964 Olympic bronze medallist Harry Jerome and this year's event featured an international dual meet between Canada and the People's Republic of China in competition for the Pacific World Cup.
"I made sure I came to this meet because Harry Jerome did a lot for our country, it was important for me to support the meet," said Broomfield, who won the women's 100 metres in 11.93 seconds then later ran a leg for the Canadian women's 4x100 relay team, which won in 45.63 seconds. "And this brings the national team together for another event, aside from going to worlds or Commonwealth Games. It's at home, and that's good."
Wright edged Canadian teammate Emanuel Parris to win the men's 100 metres in 10.54 seconds on a night where conditions deteriorated to downpour from drizzle.
"It's a little wet and that makes it a bit of a mental game and I blocked it out," said Wright. "I knew what I had to do, blocked out the rain and just ran. I'm pretty happy considering the conditions. Every event is important."
Many participants at this year's meet lauded the dual meet format which brings together the host nations of the next two Olympic Games - China in 2008 with the Summer Games in Beijing and Canada, where Vancouver plays host to the Winter Olympics in 2010.
"This meet is very important, it's great that the Chinese are here, we get to compete with them ahead of time before Beijing in 2008," said Canadian hurdler Angela Whyte after winning the women's 100-metre hurdles in 13.18 seconds despite whacking her right knee on a hurdle late in the race. "But even if they weren't here, this is an important meet because we need to have more events like this in Canada, featuring Canadian athletes. In track and field we really don't get that exposure. So the more growth this meet has as far as getting the best Canadian athletes out here, the better."
Canadian women's 800-metre record holder Dianne Cummins agreed, noting competitive opportunities with Chinese athletes can only help as the Summer Games of 2008 draw closer.
"We're preparing for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and our cultures are so different," she said. " So in terms of working toward understanding their culture, this is great, one step to being a little closer to being around the Chinese community. Not a lot of these athletes speak English, and in 2008 we will be in China where few people speak English. We are making friends through gestures, facial expressions, sounds as opposed to words. It's a great experience."
Dual meets were once popular fixtures on the track and field calendar. Malindi Elmore, runner-up to Canadian teammate Megan Metcalfe in the Jerome meet 1,500 metres, applauded the dual meet concept because it requires athletes to adopt a different approach to the competition.
"These dual meets are always fun because it's about the sport at its purest, head- to- head competition," she explained. " Standards and times aren't as important, it's just being competitive in the old sense of the word."
