Posted: July 20, 2006

Athletics: Canadian Track and Field Juniors this weekend in Sherbrooke

OTTAWA – Athletics Canada’s 2006 Canadian Junior Track and Field Championships get underway tomorrow (July 21st) in Sherbrooke, Québec with over 700 of the best 20 and under athletes from coast to coast competing for the Canadian crown. Also taking place is the Senior Canadian Combined Events Championship (Women’s Heptathlon and Men’s Decathlon).

Hosted by the Club d’Athlétisme de Sherbrooke (www.athletismesherbrooke.c), the championships serve as a qualifier for the 2006 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Junior Championships which will take place August 15th to 20th in Beijing, China. Les Gramantik, Athletics Canada Head Coach, comments on the importance of the Canadian juniors and world juniors; “The Canadian Junior Championship is the premier event for our developing athletes to showcase their talent and at the same time compete to be selected for the World Junior Championship team. Twenty years ago in 1986, Canada sent a large team to the first World Juniors in Athens. That opportunity provided the start for many to later excel on the international scene. I am anticipating the same from the group that is going to represent Canada this time in Beijing.”

Jessica Zelinka from London, Ontario will be looking to defend her senior heptathlon title. Zelinka who became the Canadian record holder this year, only to improve on the record two weeks later, also finished 4th at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia. Zelinka’s personal best and Canadian record is 6,314 points, she is ranked number one in Canada and fifth in the world by IAAF.

Defending champion and Canadian record holder in the men’s junior 100-metre sprint, Justyn Warner from Etobicoke, Ontario is back to defend his title. Warner was a silver medalist at the 2005 Pan Am Junior Championships where he set the Canadian record of 10.26 seconds.

Kimberley Hyacinthe from Lachenaie, Québec will compete in the women’s 100 and 200-metres. Hyacinthe was the 200-metres first place finisher on July 7th in Sherbrooke in the fourth meet of the Eastern Canadian High Performance Series.

For the full event schedule, list of entries, qualifying standards and more please visit: www.athletics.ca.

The 2006 Canadian Track and Field Championships take place in Ottawa, August 4th to 6th.

Athletics Canada is the national sport governing body for the sport of track and field including cross-country running, road running and road racing.

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