Posted: June 8, 2006

Athletics: Canada's rocket man gets test run against China: Christopher carries nation's hopes in Burnaby, China

Byline: Gary Kingston
Source: Vancouver Sun

There is a widespread belief, if not nervous apprehension, that China -- by hook or crook or means more legal -- is gearing up to absolutely dominate the rest of the world at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Unless authorities are hiding a lightning fast men's one-lap runner in remote Jianhe or Chengdu, Canadian flash Tyler Christopher will remain more concerned with the gazelles coming out of the U.S.

"I don't think they have a 400-metre runner, so I'm not too worried," a grinning Christopher said of the Chinese Wednesday at a news conference at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden in Vancouver.

Well, maybe not now. Who knows what 80,000 screaming Chinese might do for their runners two years hence?

"When you're in your hometown, the crowd is so much of a factor," said Christopher. "You can get so much energy, so much speed from the crowd it's not even funny. [Combine] that with their talent, they could very well do very good."

Viewed as one of Canada's top 2008 medal hopes on the track, Christopher, the bronze medallist at the 2005 world championships, will face teammate Adam Kunkel and a pair of young Chinese runners, Wang Xiaoxu and Tan Biao, tonight at Swangard Stadium in the Pacific World Cup dual meet. It's the feature component of the Harry Jerome Track Classic.

Biao and Xiaoxu have personal bests of 46.19 and 46.30, respectively, well off Christopher's Canadian record of 44.44. And no Chinese 400-metre runner is currently ranked in the top 50 in the world.

A Chilliwack product who now trains and lives in Edmonton, Christopher, 22, is still looking forward, however, to getting onto the track at Swangard given that the Jerome meet is one of the few opportunities for Canada's world-class athletes to compete at home.

After passing on the Commonwealth Games in March -- partly because of a nagging hamstring injury, partly because his coach, Kevin Tyler, felt it didn't fit into their training progression -- Christopher opened his outdoor season with a 45.16 in Eugene, Ore., and then a 45.97 in Oslo last weekend.

"You don't need to say anything about that one, right?" said Christopher of his sixth place finish in Norway.

"We're just trying new things and it just didn't work out the way we wanted to. But the way training is going, I've had personal bests in all my training. I'm stronger than last year and everything points to a better season. We're just waiting for the right race, right opportunities, right weather. Everything has to go together."

That's unlikely to happen tonight. The forecast calls for cloudy skies with a chance of showers -- imagine that -- and the Chinese are unlikely to push too hard. Still, Christopher has Shane Niemi's nine-year-old meet record of 45.20 in his sights.

"I'm hoping for a faster time than I've done this year, hoping for maybe a [sub 45.00]. We'll see what I can push myself to."

With no Olympics or world championships on the schedule this year, Christopher will spend the summer working on his consistency and trying to refine his race strategy, including figuring out just when to initiate that extra gear.

"Kicking in with 100 metres [remaining] is a little too late. By kicking with 150 metres is just too much for me. I'm trying to find that right spot."

Christopher is also scheduled to run the 4x400 metre relay tonight.

FINISH LINE: Christopher will be gunning for first-place money of $4,000 in the 400 metres. The men's 4x400 and the women's 1,500 metres also have been given top tier prize money status. 2004 Athens Olympics 10,000-metre gold medallist Xing Huina will run the 1,500 metres for China . . . The meet starts at 7 p.m.

© Copyright Vancouver Sun - Posted with permission.

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