Posted: June 8, 2004

Athletics: Athletics Canada Announces Paralympic Games Team Nominees For Track And Field

(June 8, 2004 – Ottawa, ON) –Athletics Canada will be nominating a full team of 40 athletes to represent the country at the upcoming Paralympic Games taking place in Athens, Greece, September 15-28. The association held its team trials this past weekend in Sherbrooke, Quebec as the final step in its Paralympic Games selection process.

“This is a strong and determined team made up of seasoned veterans and promising new talent,” says Jean Laroche, head coach of Athletics Canada’s Paralympic program. “We were second in the team standings at the last world championships in 2002 and we’re looking forward to maintaining our position as one of the top three nations in the world. There will definitely be some exciting and record-breaking performances in Athens.”

In order to be considered for nomination, athletes had to meet an international performance standard and finish in the top three at the trials this past weekend. The team list will be forwarded to the Canadian Paralympic Committee for ratification and the final Canadian team announcement will take place July 6th.

At the last Paralympic Games, held in Sydney, Australia in 2000, Canada sent a team of 46 men and women that brought home a total of 37 medals, including 12 gold, 16 silver and 9 bronze.

The following athletes have been approved for nomination to the 2004 Paralympic team by Athletics Canada’s selection committee.

Name	Event(s)	Clas.	Hometown
Jeff Adams	400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m	T54	Toronto, ON
Beaudoin, André	100m, 200m, 400m, 800m	T52	Cowansville, QC
Bergeron, Dean	200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, Mar.	T52	Quebec, QC
Bergman, Alan	Marathon, 10,000m	T54	Cobble Hill, BC
Bouchard, Jacques	100m, 200m	T53	Alma, QC
Clark, Chelsea	100m, 200m	T34	Mississauga, ON
Connor, Earle	100m, 200m	T42	Calgary, AB
Dunkerley, Jason	800m, 1500m	T11	Hamilton, ON
Filteau, Michel	5000m, 10,000m, Mar.	T54	St. Jean Baptiste, QC
Flemming, Eric	100m, Javelin	F35	Oshawa, ON
Franks, Lisa	200m, 400m	T52	Moose Jaw, SK
Gagné, France	Discus, Javelin	F13	Alma, QC
Gauthier, Éric	100m, 200m, 400m, 800m	T53	St. Faustin, QC
Gerein, Clayton	1500m, 5000m, Marathon	T52	Pilot Butte, SK
Hartin, Monique	Shot Put, Discus	F36	Omemee, ON
Holmes, Andrea	Long Jump	F44	Vancouver, BC
Knight, Courtney	Discus	F13	Burnaby, BC
Lachance, Jason	100m, 200m, 400m	T53	Ottawa, ON
Lakatos, Brent	100m, 200m	T54	Dorval, QC
Lariviere, Chelsea	100m, 200m	T34	Mountain, ON
March, Karen	200m, 400m	T52	Mill Bay, BC
Marquis, Carl	800m, 1500m, 10,000m	T54	Montreal, QC
Martin, Jacques	Discus, Javelin	F55	St-Denis Brompton, QC
Matassa, Jessica	200m, 400m, 800m	T54	Windsor, ON
Mathieson, Colin	100m, 200m, 400m	T54	Winnipeg, AB
McGregor, Stuart	400m, 800m	T13	Ottawa, ON
Normandin, Daniel	100m, 200m	T54	Laval, QC
Patriquin, Barry	400m	T53	Oxford, NS
Petitclerc, Chantal	100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, Marathon	T54	Montreal, QC
Pettey, Kyle	Shot Put, Discus	F35	Campbellford, ON
Radmore, Joe	100m	T52	Kemptville, ON
Reelie, Rick	800m, 1500m, 5000m	T52	Saskatoon, SK
Risto, Shane	Shot Put	F35	Niagara Falls, ON
Roy, Diane	200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, Marathon	T54	Hatley, QC
Shaw, Andy	Javelin	F37	Wingham, ON
Shaw, James	Shot Put, Discus	F38	Newcastle, ON
Smith, Kelly	1500m, 5000m, Marathon	T54	Kamloops, BC
Thom, Curtis	800m	T54	Burnaby, BC
Vriend, Kris	Shot Put, Discus	F36	Edmonton, AB
Walsh, Dustin	200m, 400m	T11	Coquitlam, C.-B.
Miller, Blair	Guide for Dustin Walsh		Port Alberni, BC
Dailey, Greg	Guide for Jason Dunkerley		St. George, ON

Other members of Team Canada in Athens include:

Head of Delegation:
Helen Manning, Markham, ON

Team Staff
Jean Laroche – Head Coach, Sherbrooke, QC
Don Steen – Coach, Burnaby, BC
Earl Church – Coach, Welland, ON
Amanda Fader – Coach, Russell, ON
Peter Eriksson – Coach, Ottawa, ON
Richard Tétreault – Coach, Otterburn Park, QC
Bob Schrader – Coach, Kemptville, ON
Mark Heidebrecht – Team Manager, Halfmoon Bay, BC
Marc Deschênes – Equipment Manager, Trois Rivières, QC
Eric Hagreen – Equipment Manager, Vancouver, BC
Susan Labreque – Chief Medical Officer, Sherbrooke, QC
Mario Mercier – Athletic Therapist, Drummondville, QC
Heidi Bebie – Physiotherapist, St. Catharines, ON (Training camp only)

Athletes will be competing in events which have different classifications in the following categories: visually impaired, cerebral palsy, ambulatory athletes, and athletes in wheelchairs.

Athletics Canada is the national sport governing body for the sport of track and field including cross-country running and road running. Its purpose is to support high performance athletics excellence at the world level and to provide leadership in developmental athletics. Athletics Canada is a not for profit, charitable organization operating under a board of directors elected by provincial / territorial members.

For an explanation of Paralympic track events see: Track Events.

For an explanation of Paralympic throwing events see: Throwing Events.

For an explanation of Paralympic jumping events see: Jumping Evenets.

From AthleticsCanada.com.