Posted: May 17, 2004

Athletics: Canadian Athletes Shine at Dixie Games

May 12, 2004 Warm Springs, GA - Top ranked Canadian athletes with a disability put in many tremendous performances this past weekend at the Dixie Games at the Roosevelt Institute in Warm Springs, Georgia. Thirty Canadian athletes took part in the meet that saw 24 Canadian Paralympic Committee A standards achieved by 12 athletes, including four athletes who had not yet attained any standard, as the road to qualifying for Athens heats up.

Before the weekend began, 38 athletes had achieved standards necessary for the upcoming Athens Paralympic Games. By the time the weekend was over, four more names had been added to that list, bringing the total to 42. Brent Lakatos (T54) achieved standard in the 100m with a time of 14.88 to finish first. He also achieved standard in the 200m with a second place finish and a time of 26.49. Teresa Torson (T52) achieved her first standard with a time of 1:27.25 in the 400m. Barry Patriquin (T53) qualified in two events, the 200m (27.58) and the 400m (52.30). Curtis Thom (T54) achieved standard in the 800m with a time of 1:38.58, finishing second. Thom is now one of seven athletes who presently have achieved the standard necessary for the Games in Athens in the 800m.

Eight other Canadian athletes also achieved standards, adding to those that they had already achieved previously. André Beaudoin (T52) placed first in the 800m with a time of 2:07.43. Alan Bergman (T52), who has already achieved standard in the marathon, attained three new standards -- in the 800m (5th) with a time of 1:39.11, the 5000m (8th) with 10:05.65 and in the 10000m (2nd) with a time of 20:40.56. Michel Filteau (T54) also added three new standards times of 1:39.08 in the 800m (4th), 10:05.66 in the 5000m (9th) and 20:27.35 in the 10000m (4th). Steve Ellefson (T54) realized two standards, with times of 10:04.65 in the 5000m (5th) and 21:21.47 in the 10000m (6th). Jason Lachance (T53) attained the 400m standard to go with the 100m that he already has. He finished 2nd with a time of 52.69. Carl Marquis (T54), already in possession of the 800m standard, added the 1500m (4th), 5000m (3rd), and 10000m (5th). His times were 3:00.14, 10:03.94, and 20:27.75 respectively. Jessica Matassa (T54), already qualified in the 400m, added the 800m with a time of 1:53.40. Diane Roy (T54) added to her already long list of events with a qualifying time in the 200m. She had a time of 30.50, good enough for second place behind fellow Canadian Chantal Petitclerc.

Two athletes achieved times that were well under world record times, but because the meet was not internationally sanctioned, they will remain ujnofficial. Chantal Petitclerc had a time of 53.07 in the 400m, well under the current world record of 54.49. Petitclerc, along with Roy, also performed times well under the mark in the 1500m Petitclerc clocked in at 3:23.74, while Roy had a time of 3:24.00. The world record, set in Atlanta in 1996, is 3:30.45. Finally, Roy had a tremendous race in the 5000m. On a super fast track with perfect conditions, Roy crossed the line with a time of 11:40.87; 34 seconds faster than the current world mark of 12:14.94.

With 42 athletes now having achieved the necessary standards to participate in Athens, and a maximum quota of 40 for the team, the Paralympic Trials in Sherbrooke (June 4-6) are shaping up to be a very exciting competition.

From AthleticsCanada.com