Posted: June 5, 2004

Athletics: Paralympic Games team trials in track and field June 4-6 in Sherbrooke, QC

June 3, 2004 OTTAWA - Earle Connor of Calgary, Jeff Adams of Toronto and Chantal Petitclerc of Montreal are among the entries vying to wrap-up berths at the Paralympic team trials in track and field June 4-6 at the Stade de l’ Université de Sherbrooke.

The Paralympic Games are a multi sport event for athletes with a disability held every four years after the Olympic Games in the same host city. This year’s Games are September 17-28 in Athens.

A total of 40 spots are up for grabs at the track and field trials and so far 43 athletes have Games standards under their belt. Some of the toughest battles are expected to be in the men’s wheelchair races in the open 800, 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 metres and the T53 100 and 200-metre sprints. In the 800, seven athletes have met the Games standard. The top-three at trials for that event will qualify for nomination to the Games.

Adams, who holds virtually every Canadian record in wheelchair racing, is among the seven who’ll be battling for the 800 spot. He has also met the standard in three other events (400, 1,500 and 5,000) and is expected to solidify his nomination to a fifth Paralympic Games.

Petitclerc and Diane Roy of Sherbrooke are the big stars in women’s open wheelchair racing right now for Canada and should confirm their entries to a fourth and third Paralympic Games respectively.

Connor is Canada’s amazing amputee sprinter who broke world records in the 100, 200 and 400-metres last year and beat the 60-metre world indoor mark this past March. In May he was awarded the prestigious Laureus World Sports Award for athletes with a disability.

Other red hot Canadians at trials include quadriplegic racers Lisa Franks of Saskatoon who is rewriting the world record book in women’s wheelchair racing and veterans Dean Bergeron of Quebec City and Clayton Gerein of Pilot Butte, Sask. Gerein is the defending Paralympic marathon champion and appears headed to his fifth Games.

World Champion blind runners Jason Dunkerley of Hamilton, Ont. and Stuart McGregor of Ottawa, Ont. will also be in attendance.

In competition for cerebral palsy athletes a big battle is anticipated in the women’s throwing events between Kris Vriend of Edmonton and Monique Hartin of Omemee, Ont. while France Gagné of Alma, Que., and Courtney Knight of Burnaby, B.C., are established international performers in men’s and women’s throwing events for the visually impaired.

Canada is a world power in track and field for athletes with a disability. At the world championships in 2002, the Canadians were second in the medal standings with 12 gold, finishing just behind Britain.

Competition starts at 5 p.m. on Friday, 5 pm., on Saturday and 9 a.m., on Sunday.

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