It’s provincial championship weekend for our Junior and Senior athletes! It’s also the last chance to qualify for the Pan Am Games and we have a lengthy list of club members either currently in position to represent Canada, or within striking distance. It will be an exciting weekend of competition. The top 2 athletes in each event will represent Canada in Toronto this summer.
Here’s a breakdown of our members looking to make the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto…
Damian Warner - Decathlon. No surprises here. Damian is ranked #1 and will not be competing this weekend.
Lanni Marchant – 10K/Marathon. Almost surprisingly, Lanni has found she has some speed in the shorter distances. Currently the Canadian record holder in the marathon, she is sitting in 2nd for the 10K and looks to be strong enough to hold that spot. Will not be competing in Windsor this weekend.
Caroline Erhardt – Triple Jump. Currently #1 with a best jump this season of 13.04m. Lifetime best is 13.16m. She’ll compete this weekend, looking to solidify her spot.
Alicia Smith – Triple Jump. Currently #2 with a best jump this season of 12.99m. Lifetime best is 13.06m. If there’s anyone in the field that can take over the #1 spot, it’s Alicia. Her and Caroline train together and when it comes to competing, they know how to do it. Always exciting to watch.
Taylor Stewart – Decathlon. Unranked. This will be an athlete to follow this weekend. Taylor is a World Junior Bronze Medalist in 2010 and this past year has transitioned to the Decathlon. He has yet to complete the event, but is looking strong. He is very capable of taking the #2 spot behind teammate and training partner, Damian Warner.
Tim Hendry – Shot Put. Currently sitting in 3rd. A very important meet for Tim. Season best throw of 18.84m and needs 19.81m. With a PB of 19.31m, it will take a lifetime best, but doable.
Jen Cotten – 400mH. This is one of the deepest fields this event has ever had in Canada. Canada has 6 women who have run under 57sec this year. The Olympic standard is 56.20s. 0.44s separates the Top 6. This has the potential to be big race. 4 of the top 6 are in Windsor this weekend, with the other 2 at NCAA Championships in Eugene, OR.
Robin Bone – Pole Vault. Coming off a breakthrough indoor season with a lifetime best of 4.36m, she currently sits in 7th with a season best of 4.22m. Don’t let the ranking fool you. Top 2 is very much within her reach and she’s a competitor.
Ami Schimanski – Hammer Throw. Sitting in 5th, Ami is in tough competition, but under pressure, athletes have a way of bringing out their best. Look for big throws from her this weekend.
Kevin Strybosch – F37 Discus. Kevin is #4 in the world and recently threw a new Canadian record of 49.65m. The para program has a different selection process, so we’ll wait to see, if he’s selected to the Para Pan Am team after this weekend.
Ken Trudgeon – F46 Shot Put. Ken is #3 in the world and similar situation to his teammate, Kevin. We will wait to see if he is selected after this weekend.
Cody Salomons – F44 High Jump. Currently #3 in the world with a season best of 1.75m. He jumped 1.85 indoors, so plenty of room for improvement. He will likely be heading to Para Pan Ams and looking to improve his mark this weekend.
Mike Johnstone - F38 LJ. Mike is 10cm off the Par Pan Am standard in LJ and will be looking to eclipse that this weekend to give himself a fair shot at selection.