听
The 27th annual Victoria International Classic is shaping up more like a greyhound race than a track meet. Just pin back the ears and chase those rabbits.
The two Canadian track and field athletes with the best times or distances in each event by Sunday鈥檚 cut-off will make the national team for the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.
With only two North American meets remaining in that time frame 鈥� Victoria鈥檚 tonight at 7 p.m. at Centennial Stadium and Portland鈥檚 on Sunday 鈥� nobody can afford to hold back.
Every Canadian competitor will be looking to 鈥減op one鈥� tonight, as runners describe an particularly fast clocking.
鈥淭he [national] rankings for 1-2 can change from meet to meet. They changed dramatically in several events after Monday鈥檚 Harry Jerome meet [in Burnaby] and could again after Victoria,鈥� said Keith Butler, the meet director for tonight.
Rachel Francois, two-time defending University of Victoria Vikes female athlete of the year, has the seventh-best time for a Canadian in the women鈥檚 800 metres. But the difference between Olympian and current No. 1 Jessica Smith and seventh place is just over one second.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 stress too much about it. It will come. I just have to step it up a bit. It鈥檚 just a matter of doing it 鈥� running fast and being smart,鈥� Francois said.
And what better place for that than on her home track tonight?
鈥淎ll my friends will be in the stands cheering. I love racing at home and this will really help me because I race on this track every day,鈥� said Francois.
The veteran Angela Whyte of Edmonton, a two-time Olympian, is coming off injury and finds herself sitting fourth in the Canadian rankings for the women鈥檚 100-metre hurdles.
She would love to race in a home Games and Toronto fits the bill. But she needs to pop one by Sunday. An annual regular in the Victoria meet, she can think of no more ideal venue in which to do that.
鈥淭his place [Centennial Stadium] is special. You get the energy of the crowd here in Victoria 鈥� it鈥檚 one that really enjoys track and field,鈥� Whyte said.
She hopes that helps lift her.
鈥淩ight now, I鈥檓 chasing a time. But I had a rough early season last year as well [before regrouping to win bronze at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games],鈥� Whyte said.
Thomas Riva, like fellow UVic Vikes runner Francois, bypassed sure selection for the World University Games in South Korea to instead try to make the national senior teams for the Pan Am Games and 2015 world track and field championships later this summer in Beijing. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a gamble and a risk [passing up near-automatic selection to the lesser University Games],鈥� Riva said.
鈥淏ut I鈥檓 looking at where I want to be competing next year [2016 Rio Summer Olympics] and where I need to be this year in order to accomplish that. If there鈥檚 that chance [for Rio 2016], you鈥檝e got to take it.鈥�
The Qualicum Beach runner, fourth in the men鈥檚 1,500 metres at the Jerome meet on Monday, is scheduled to run the 800 metres tonight. 鈥淩unning at home is going to be huge for me,鈥� Riva said.
UVic coach Brent Fougner described Riva and Francois as 鈥渢enacious competitors who could squeeze spots on the Pan Am Games team by Sunday鈥檚 deadline.鈥�
The African, Asian and European athletes aren鈥檛 concerned with the Pan Am Games.
But those competing tonight from this hemisphere 鈥� including Americans such as 400-metre runner Briana Nelson and Olympic javelin thrower Sean Furey 鈥� are.
鈥淭he U.S. trials are really competitive,鈥� said Texas-native Nelson, about her tough road to Toronto.
鈥淏ut I raced in the junior Pan Ams, so the Games would be the next step.鈥�
