Celebrating with friends and family a cherished memory for Canadian athletes
By: Jonathan Yue
Christabel Nettey remembers standing on the runway at the CIBC Pan Am and Parapan Am Athletics Stadium at York University on the night of July 24 clearly. The other events had concluded and the long jump competition was the main event.
“The entire stadium was watching and cheering for me,” Nettey recalls. “Best of all, at the front of the crowd, I could see my entire family – parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents – as well as my friends who had flown in just to watch me compete.”
Nettey was in a class of her own during the long jump finals. Already having set the Canadian record mark (6.99-metres) two months earlier, the 24-year-old soared 6.81-metres on her first attempt, before a jump of 6.90-metres confirmed her victory in front of the Canadian dominant crowd.
“I travel all around the world competing for strangers but in this instance, I got to see and hear my biggest supporters cheering me on at a major international competition,” says the Brampton, Ontario,-native. “I received so much love from the home fans and it was a surreal and magical moment getting to hear the Canadian anthem play, celebrating my accomplishment.”
Marking the fifth anniversary of the Toronto Pan American Games, the pride felt by Canadian athletes during the summer of 2015 continues to this day. Looking back, the city was engulfed in sport and Canadian pride. From the volunteers to the organizers, to ultimately, the athletes.
Canadian athletics capitalized off the Canadian energy, winning 27 medals (11 gold, 7 silver, 9 bronze) in total. More importantly, athletes gained valuable confidence, experience and chemistry – on and off the track – for many years to come.
It was a coming-out party of sorts for 20-year-old Andre De Grasse.
If Canadians didn’t know who he was before, they certainly got to know what he was capable of during the seven days of competition. For De Grasse, the Toronto Pan American Games will always hold a special place in his heart.
“To be able to win at home with family and friends watching and all the pressure I was under gave me a lot of confidence,” says De Grasse. “That experience provided me with a positive experience heading into the 2015 World Championships and 2016 Olympics.”
Adding the accolades of winning double-gold in the 100-metre (10.05 finals, 9.97 semi-final) and 200-metre events (a then personal-best, 19.88 seconds), a nervous 20-year-old De Grasse found comfort being so close to the Toronto Track and Field Centre, right across the street from the Pan Am Stadium.
“I felt comfortable being familiar with the environment warming up on the same track where I got my start in the sport,” De Grasse says. “It’s also why we choose to launch my foundation at the York U track in 2018. It’s a special place for me. I love coming back and reminiscing about all the great memories I’ve had there and I hope to have many more!”
The start of something special 🙌
— Athletics Canada (@AthleticsCanada) July 19, 2020
After three medal-worthy performances by @evandunfee 🥇, @inakigomezg 🥈, and @rachelhannahrd 🥉 in the first two days of #TO2015, we had a feeling the Toronto Pan American Games were going to be special 🇨🇦 #ACPanAm5 pic.twitter.com/a1CKpxPvdy
A consistent presence at the Pan American Athletics Stadium, Evan Dunfee knew he was ready for the 20-kilmotre race walk. Flying in a few days earlier from British Columbia, Dunfee recalls being able to acclimate to the weather before moving into the Athlete’s Village and getting into the festivities.
“I remember doing a workout in the neighborhood near [my brother’s] house where I was just casually ramping the pace up each of the 3.5-kilometre loops,” Dunfee recalls. “The last loop, I was flying and it felt effortless, I knew I was ready for the big race.”
“The actual race was awesome,” continued Dunfee, who raised his arms in celebration as he crossed the finish line as the 2015 Pan American 20-kilometre champion. “Having family and friends there and coming across the finish line to break the tape and have Inaki win his battle for silver moments later, it was amazing. Stafford Whalen, who has helped me a lot in my career was holding the finish line tape and Peter Eriksson, our High Performance Director who had always believed in our little team, was right there at the finish line. My parents pushed their way past the security guards. It was a pretty awesome moment.”
Along with the moments at the finish line, standing on the podium while singing O Canada, Dunfee admits it will all be “a moment that will be tough to beat.” But the most memorable highlight from those Games for the then 24-year-old will be the experience from the grandstand, cheering on his Canadian teammates at every session.
“Even when we were the only ones there at 2pm (the end of the day session) watching the end of the decathlon pole vault, Inaki and I made sure we were there cheering Pat [Arbour] and Damian [Warner] on. Watching Pat do his lap of honour after the Decathlon and interact with all the young kids asking for his autograph was probably the most lasting memory I have from that team.” That commitment to support was evident on the track as well.
Damian Warner has competed in a lot of countries and competitions, but the decathlete still remembers the Toronto Pan American Games fondly from stepping onto the brand new stadium, to walking through the Athlete’s Village.
“The atmosphere leading up to the Pan American Games was different from any competition I have participated in before, including the Olympics,” says Warner. “Seeing the Canadian flags, the Canadian athletes, it was a different type of pride and energy, it was cool to be a part of it.”
The 2015 Pan American Games will be remembered as a historic event. But for Warner, he remembers the important lessons he learned at the previous meet at the Gotzis Hypomeeting. It didn’t end in the result that he wanted but it drove him to be better. “Because Gotzis left a bad taste in my mouth, I was excited to get back on the track and compete, and this is what set me up for the results I had at the Pan American Games.”
Not only did Warner come out with the decathlon gold medal in Toronto, but he tallied a total of 8659 points, breaking the 19-year-old Canadian decathlon record held previously by the great Michael Smith (8626 points).
“Breaking the Canadian record and winning the Pan American Games at home was extremely special,” recalls the London, Ontario-native. “The majority of our competitions happen overseas which makes it hard for family and friends to watch in person. In Toronto, I had many family and friends in the stands, some from when I was in public school, making the competition so much more meaningful and it made the result that much more special.”
“The confidence gained from the Pan American Games, I was able to come out of Beijing with a silver medal and another new Canadian record,” Warner adds. “The experience and results from 2015 put me in a position to go into Rio with confidence and come away with my first Olympic medal.”
Like Warner, confidence was a key part of the at-home advantage for Melissa Bishop-Nriagu. Coming off back-to-back injuries and personal setbacks starting from the second half of 2014 and early 2015, the then 27-year-old fed off the energy from the Pan American Games in Toronto and continued to ride it into the World Championships and Rio Olympic Games.
“My coach and I really dug deep and we were able to qualify at the last minute for the Pan American Games and my confidence just grew,” Bishop-Nriagu says. “There’s nothing like competing at a home games. Being able to celebrate a medal with your country and the people who helped get you there was amazing.”
From Genevieve Lalonde and Liz Gleadle, Mohammed Ahmed and Matthew Hughes, to Derek Drouin and Shawn Barber and all the accomplishments and memorable moments by Canadian athletes at the Toronto Pan American Games, Team Canada made sure to put on a show for the Canadian faithful.
As for the benefits of the team and athletes, Dunfee sees the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games as an event that accelerated the development of the members of the team and instilled a solid team culture.
“The Games were a huge stepping stone for myself and the rest of the team. Brianne Theison-Eaton stood up during our team meeting and basically said, ‘We aren’t here to participate, we are here to win medals, improve our PBs and our rankings” and the team took that to heart.”
“That team changed the culture to aspiring to do better than we were supposed to do. That was our point of pride. And then we went into Beijing and came away with eight medals. Athletes in Toronto got a taste of the podium and I think that provided that extra bit of motivation for Beijing and Rio,” says Dunfee.
Without a doubt, the moments, experience, and sights and sounds of the Canadian anthem being played during those summer days in 2015 will be remembered by these athletes for a very long time.
“As the national anthem played, I could hear many people in the crowd singing along,” Warner concludes. “That was a special moment – it gave me goosebumps and is something I’ll never forget.”
