Momentum from the speeds ran and the heights jumped at the Festival of Excellence will continue June 25-28 when many of the country’s top athletes meet at Varsity Centre for the Canadian Track and Field Championships and Worlds Trials.The four-day championships, which haven’t come to Toronto in 40 years, will serve as the selection trials to determine who will represent Canada at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, Germany, August 15 -23.
Oakville native Josh Cassidy, the reigning Canadian champion in the T54 5000m, is pleased to see the event happen so close to home. “I’m glad that a major track and field event is back in Toronto,” he told Athletics Canada. ”This event will be a great chance to show off the talent of our Canadians to the city, and hopefully make Toronto a spot for larger, international competitions in the future.”
Priscilla Lopes-Schliep and Perdita Felicien are among the competitors in the 100m hurdles.
Given the intensity of the face-off between the two at the Festival of Excellence, this is a race not to be missed. Canadian 400m record holder Tyler Christopher, Canadian shot put record holder Dylan Armstrong and Gary Reed, who finished 4th in the 800m in Beijing, are just a few of the elite athletes slated to compete at the meet.
“We’ve set the bar high for high performance track and field at U of T with this incredible summer line-up, including the Canadian nationals,” says Blues track and field head coach Carl Georgevski. “The breadth of the events and levels of athletes using Varsity Centre this year is stellar.”
Tickets for the Canadian Track and Field Championships and World Trials are available through Ticket Break.