Posted: December 3, 2004

Athletics: Athletics Canada Announces Major Award Winners For 2004

(December 2 , 2004, Ottawa)– Canada’s most decorated Paralympic track and field athlete, Chantal Petitclerc, and world champion Perdita Felicien were among those receiving awards and recognition from Athletics Canada today at a special reception in Toronto honouring the country’s top athletics stars..

Held in conjunction with Athletics Canada’s Semi-Annual Meeting and Technical Congress, the reception announced the following award recipients for outstanding performances in 2004:

Five-time 2004 Paralympic gold medalist Chantal Petitclerc of Montreal QC and world champion Perdita Felicien of Pickering ON were named co-winners of the Jack W. Davies Trophy for Canada’s top amateur track and field athlete who demonstrates outstanding ability and skill, as well as character and sportsmanship. Petitclerc had an amazing performance at the 2004 Paralympic Games, breaking three world records and one Paralympic record in Athens. Felicien consistently performed on top of the world during 2004, winning gold in hurdles events at the IAAF Golden League and the IAAF Grand Prix Series as well as being crowned world champion in the 60m hurdles at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships. The two were also named recipients of the Phil Edwards Memorial Trophy, which is awarded each year to Canada’s most outstanding male or female athlete in overall track events

Olympic Games finalist Dana Ellis of Kitchener ON is the recipient of the F.N.A. Rowell Trophy which is presented to Canada’s most outstanding athlete in field events, (jumping, vaulting or throwing). Ellis set a new Canadian record in the women’s pole vault event in 2004 and was 6th in the event at the 2004 Olympic Games.

University of Calgary student Jessica Zelinka from London ON received the Dr. Fred Tees Memorial Trophy as Canada’s most outstanding Canadian university track and field athlete. Zelinka was the top ranked Canadian in the pentathlon event, winning gold at the 2004 Canada Dry Canadian Track and Field Championships and 2004 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Championships.

Fourteen-year-old Sabrina Nettey of Surrey BC is the recipient of the Myrtle Cook Trophy which is given each year to Canada’s most outstanding female track and field athlete who is 16 years of age or under and who has not represented Canada at an international competition. Nettey is the 2004 BC high school champion in the 100m and long jump, the BC Summer Games triple jump champion and is a multiple age group record holder in the long jump and triple jump in her province.

Mike Mason of Nanoose Bay BC receives the Cal D. Bricker Memory Trophy for the country’s most outstanding athlete in jumping events (long jump, triple jump and high jump). The 18-year-old surprised the world when he won the gold medal in high jump at the 2004 IAAF World Junior Championships in Grosseto, Italy this past summer. He is the current Canadian junior high jump champion and finished the 2004 season ranked second in high jump in Canada after 2003 world championship silver medalist Mark Boswell.

Kelly Smith of Kamloops BC and Tim Berrett of Edmonton AB were named co-winners of the Fred Begley Memorial Trophy which recognizes Canada’s top athletes in marathon and off-track race walking events. Smith won the silver medal for Canada in the wheelchair marathon event at the 2004 Paralympic Games. He also set a Canadian best and world best time in the 10 Km at a road race in Atlanta with a time of 18:43.22. Berrett set a new Canadian record in the 50 Km race walk in March 2004 and represented Canada at his fourth Olympic Games.

Canadian record holder Jason Tunks of London ON is the winner of the Eric E. Coy Memorial Trophy as the outstanding Canadian athlete in throwing events (shot put, discus, javelin and hammer throw). The Canadian champion in discus for almost ten years, Tunks was 16th at the 2004 Olympic Games and receives this award for the sixth time in eight years.

An inaugural Junior Athlete of the Year award was also announced at the reception to recognize Canada’s most outstanding junior athlete (aged 18 or 19), taking into consideration performances in all major national and international competitions. The 2004 recipient is junior high jump phenomenon Mike Mason.

The 2004 Jim Buchanan Memorial Award recipients were also announced yesterday. The Buchanan awards are named after the late Jim Buchanan, a Canadian long jump record holder who died in a car crash in 1977. Clayton Latham of Brampton ON received the award as the top non-carded senior long jumper for 2004; as well as Massimo Bertocchi of Tottaim ON as the top non-carded junior long jump athlete. Maurice Ennis of Toronto ON also earned the honour as the national champion in long jump at the 2004 Canada Dry Canadian Track and Field Championships this summer.

As the national sport governing body for track and field, cross country running and road running, Athletics Canada’s mission is to provide leadership, development and competition that ensures world-level performance in athletics. Athletics Canada is a not- for-profit, charitable organization operating under a board of directors elected by provincial / territorial members.

From: Athletics Canada.