34-YEAR-OLD CANADIAN RECORD FALLS IN T13 1,500-METRES
The 2021 Olympic and Paralympic Trials presented by Bell offered an opportunity for athletes to improve their standing to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic or Paralympic Games.
Whether it was by achieving an Olympic standard or earning bonus points to move up in the World Rankings, Canadian athletes had an opportunity to earn their ticket to Tokyo.
History was made in Montreal this weekend. Lindsey Butterworth and John Gay achieved the Olympic standard, bringing a buzz to a stadium that could not allow fans to attend. A rainy Saturday made things tougher on athletes and volunteers alike, but also made for lasting images of athletes running, jumping and throwing in the midst of a summer storm. The event ended with Django Lovett triumphantly clearing the Olympic standard of 2.33 metres in the men’s high jump.
In the end, 28 National Champions were crowned. Some are among the all-time greats, adding to their sparkling resumes. Others broke through for the first time. All are etched in the Athletics Canada history books forever.
Lovett comes up huge
The men’s high jump came down to Lovett and Mike Mason, each working their way to three shots at the Olympic standard. In the end, it was Lovett who cleared 2.33 metres on his last attempt at that height, to stake his claim to a spot on Team Canada in Tokyo.
“It’s been a long time coming. It’s a little surreal. I’ve seen it. I’ve played it over and over in my head,” said Lovett. “I’ve been doing this for so many years, so to finally have a breakthrough like that at such a crucial point – it’s proof that everything is right on track, and timing and everything like that is lining up perfectly.”
Gaunt sets a new pace
Keegan Gaunt smashed the national record for the T13 1500 metres Sunday morning, crossing the finish line in at a time of 4:57.54. Norah Good set the old record in 1984 and it had stood that long before Gaunt took almost 19 seconds off.
In her first official competition of the season, Gaunt fought windy conditions to re-write the record book. “It felt great. I’ve only had two touches on the track in the past three months, so it’s good to get out there and get my first race of the season. It was a windy one, but I was really grateful for the pacing; it was awesome,” said Gaunt. “I have another race this Saturday, so I’ll hopefully take a few more seconds off that (Canadian record) and go from there.”
Meet your 2021 National Champions
Julie-Anne Staehli took the women's 1500-metre race in a time of 4:08.83.
Charlotte Bolton nabbed her second F41 title of the weekend, with her throw of 23.57 metres in the discus.
Jennifer Brown is your 2021 F38 discus champion, with a throw of 28.49 metres.
Trinity Tutti won the women’s discus by 30 centimetres. Her championship throw landed 56.72 metres away.
Charles Philibert-Thiboutot won the men’s 1500-metre on home soil, putting down a time of 3:40.78 in his home province of Quebec.
Jesse Zesseu threw his way to a national title, claiming the men’s F37 discus crown with a throw of 43.78 metres.
Canada’s mixed 4x400-metre relay team of Philip Osei, Alicia Brown, Micha Powell and Nathan George were also in competition on Sunday, besting two international relay teams in a time of 3:17.31.
