Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome Track Classic to feature Canadian Olympic and World Championship medallists Andre De Grasse, Melissa Bishop, Damian Warner, Ben Thorne, Akeem Haynes and Brendon Rodney.
WATCH FREE LIVE WEBCAST ON ATHLETICSCANADA.TV AT 5:50pm PT JUNE 28
The last leg of the 2017 National Track League (NTL) starts at 5:50 p.m. PT Wednesday, June 28 in Coquitlam, B.C., with the Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome Track Classic at Percy Perry Stadium.
The 2017 Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome Track Classic features a number of Canada’s track and field stars. Canadian Olympic and World Championship medallists Andre De Grasse (100m, 200m & 4x100m Relay), Melissa Bishop (800m), Damian Warner (Decathlon), Ben Thorne (20km RW), Akeem Haynes (4x100m Relay) and Brendon Rodney (4x100m Relay) will all compete in front of a sold-out crowd at Percy Perry Stadium. A number of local Olympians will get the chance to compete in front of family and friends: Evan Dunfee (Race Walk), Elizabeth Gleadle (Javelin), Christabel Nettey (Long Jump) and Alyx Treasure (High Jump).
There are many surrounding story lines helping make the 34th Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome Track Classic on Wednesday June 28 one to watch.
Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome Track Classic Preview
After three wins this year on the IAAF Diamond League, Andre De Grasse of Markham, Ont. returns to the Harry Jerome Track Classic to compete in the men’s 100 and 200-metres. De Grasse lit up the track in 2016 winning three medals at last summer’s Rio Olympic Games (100-metres : bronze, 200-metres : silver and 4x100-metre relay : bronze). In the 100-metres at Harry Jerome, De Grasse will be joined by two of his bronze medal winning relay teammates, Akeem Haynes of Calgary and Brendon Rodney of Brampton, Ont.
Canadian 800-metre record holder Melissa Bishop of Eganville, Ont. has been consistently clocking sub-2 minute performances so far in 2017 as she builds momentum toward the 2017 Canadian Championships. Fellow 2012 Olympian Jessica Smith of Vancouver, 1500-metre Olympian Nicole Sifuentes of Winnipeg and Bishop’s training partner Annie Leblanc of Repentigny, Que., look to challenge and hit the IAAF World Championship qualifying time (2:01.00).
A win at the Gotzis Hypomeeting earlier this year shows that Damian Warner of London, Ont., will be contending for a world title in the decathlon later this summer in the United Kingdom. Warner, who won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, will take part in the 110-metre hurdles and long jump competitions in Coquitlam.
20km race walk bronze medallist from the 2015 World Championships, Ben Thorne of Kitimat, B.C., and Olympic fourth place 50 km race walk finisher Evan Dunfee of Richmond, B.C. look to set a fast pace in the 1600-metres race walk.
Canadian record holder and Vancouver native Elizabeth Gleadle will compete in her specialty at the Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome Track Classic. Gleadle represented Canada in Rio and tops the Canadian rankings this year with a best throw of 62.30-metres in the javelin.
Christabel Nettey of Surrey, B.C., is healthy and back in world class long jump form. The 2015 Pan Am Games champion and fourth place IAAF World Championship finisher recently jumped 6.92-metres, only .07 off her Canadian record. Joined by younger sister, Sabrina, she will go for the win in her home province.
After a successful university career, Alyx Treasure of Prince George, B.C., qualified for the Olympic final last year in Rio. Treasure will have the IAAF World Championship standard of 1.94m in her sights as she tries to earn her spot to represent Canada in London later this summer.
The women’s 100 and 200-metres includes Shai-Anne Davis of Toronto and Whitney Rowe of Burnaby, B.C. These two young women are looking for World Championship standards and the chance to earn their spot on the IAAF World Championships’ 4x100-metre relay pool.
Pan Am Games bronze medallist Sasha Gollish of Toronto and 2016 5000-metre Olympian Jessica O’Connell of Calgary headline the field in the women’s 1500-metres. British Columbia based Regan Yee and Mariah Kelly, along with Scotland’s Sarah Inglis could also challenge for the win.
For more information on the National Track League visit www.athletics.local/ntl.
