Geoff Harris meet Gary Reed.
You鈥檙e going to need him 鈥� or at least the retired Olympic finalist鈥檚 namesake Gary Reed 800-Metre Race on July 5 at Centennial Stadium.
The 2012 London Olympics semifinalist Harris, who splits his training time between Victoria and Arizona, won the men鈥檚 800 metres Sunday in Moncton, N.B., at the Canadian trials for the 2013 IAAF world track and field championships Aug. 10-18 in Moscow.
But Harris鈥檚 time of 1:47.75 didn鈥檛 meet the world championships qualifying standard and he has until July 29 to do so.
One of those chances comes next week at the Victoria International Track Classic 800-metre race named in honour of Reed.
The top-three in each event in Moncton qualified for the worlds as long as they achieved standard. A total of 32 athletes did, 18 men and 14 women, including Islanders and Olympians Cam Levins of Black Creek in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres and Mike Mason of Nanoose Bay in the high jump.
There is a significant group, including the likes of Harris and fellow Victoria-based Olympian Nate Brannen in the 1,500, who were top-three in Moncton without making standard. So that July 29 cut-off date looms large for them.
That greatly increases the importance of the last three National Track League meets as athletes will be looking to achieve world championship standard in Edmonton on Saturday, the Jerome Classic at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby next Monday and the 25th Victoria International Track Classic on July 5 at Centennial Stadium. A total of 23 national trials medallists from Moncton, including six who have already qualified for Moscow, have been confirmed for the Victoria meet.
鈥淗opefully we can provide the opportunity and setting for these athletes to achieve standard,鈥� said Victoria meet director Keith Butler.
鈥淚t will be their last chance on the domestic circuit before they head to Europe. That, and our $100,000 in prize money because the Victoria event is the NTL championship meet this season, means we are definitely going to have a lot of athletes attending our meet not only from sa国际传媒 but also the U.S. and the Caribbean.鈥�
Meanwhile, the multi-faceted Michelle Stilwell of Nanoose Bay competed in Moncton and won her events in track wheelchair racing. The multi gold-medallist Paralympics star, also the MLA for Parksville-Qualicum and the government caucus chairwoman, qualified for the 2013 Para track worlds being held in Lyon, France.
WORLD BEAT: The U.S. defeated sa国际传媒 82-48 Sunday in the championship game of the FIBA Americas U-16 women鈥檚 basketball championships in Cancun, Mexico, despite team-high totals of 15 points and eight rebounds from the emerging Lauren Yearwood of Victoria. 鈥淲e battled really hard, gave them a tough fight and we鈥檙e keeping our heads held high,鈥� said Yearwood, in a release. The Grade 10 Oak Bay High forward helped lead sa国际传媒 to a 4-1 record and the silver medal 鈥� Olympian Zach Bell from the Yukon won the men鈥檚 road race Sunday at the Canadian cycling championships in St-Georges, Que., with veteran pro Rob Britton of Victoria fourth. Earlier at the nationals, longshot Curtis Deardon of Victoria was the surprise winner of the men鈥檚 time trial while Anika Todd of Victoria took silver in the women鈥檚 time trial. Deardon鈥檚 achievement will be celebrated at a public reception in his honour Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Russ Hay鈥檚 bicycle shop 鈥� Maddie Secco and Kathleen Leahy, both of Victoria, are with the Canadian senior womens field hockey team in Ireland before heading to the junior world championship in Germany.
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