Forums >Racing>Canadian Olympic Trials.
There has not been a great deal of coverage, profiles on prominent athletes etc., but the CBC is planning live streaming on Saturday of some events.
The meet is in Calgary at the Foothills Park facility and doubles as the National Championships. Preliminary events are qualifiers for the actual trials. I have read of some very disappointing efforts so far in the 10,000m which may in part be due to altitude as the facility is at an altitude over 1,ooo metres above sea level, but also may be due to some athletes having already made qualifying standards for time but not race position. In fact there were only 7 men in the 10,000 and 3 women who were on track at the same time. Neither Cam Levins nor Simon Bairu was there.
I am concerned that Athletics Canada cannot put on a better show, the issues include the following:
1) Complex qualifying rules are difficult for members of the public to follow.
2) A major track and field event does not attract top level athletes like Levins and Bairu, on the other hand it seems Dylan Armstrong (ranked in the top 3 shot putters in the world) apparently has to compete to assure his spot on the team.
3) Altitude may prevent distance runners from reaching standards they might have met in Vancouver, London or Windsor.
4) Athletes who have already made the A standard but need a top 3 finish can jog to a top 3 against weak opposition.
5) Facilities seem pretty basic- I understand interviews were conducted in a tent as it was raining.
I am not sure whether Stellingwerf, Sifuentes and Sheila Reid will be running the 1500m as the first two mentioned have already qualified as I understand the situation. If reid has to try to meet the A standard without a suitable pacer, and at 1,000m she may well not succeed.
It does not seem the location is well chosen, the depth of competition strong enough to attract spectators or the event promoted enough to attract public interest.
As a Canadian I know more about US athletes than about Canadians, a sad situation.
PBs since age 60: 5k- 24:36, 10k - 47:17. Half Marathon- 1:42:41.
10 miles (unofficial) 1:16:44.
Why is it sideways?
Yeah, but you guys have Cam MF Levins, so at least there's that.
I'm confused. Are you saying that your Olympic track competitors are picked by the national Olympic committee (or another body), and don't earn their place in a single qualifying meet?
On something vaguely related: I got a guest entry to the 10,000 after months of hassling Athletics Canada. But only after they had told me that I hadn't got an entry and then some of my Canadian friends pulled some strings. However, I wasn't aware of the elevation and so decided that combined with the $67 entry fee that I wouldn't bother. (I was in Canada to race the K100 relay.)
The regulations are quite complicated and take 10 pages to list.
The philosophy of the Canadian Olympic Committee is that they want athletes representing the country to have the potential to finish in the top 12, or in the case of "rising stars" to be a young athlete with potential to finish in the top 24 who is deemed likely to benefit from exposure to a higher level of competition.
To realize this aim the qualification requirements are either an A plus or evidence of consistently good results through reaching the B standard twice plus either an A or a first three placement at the trails. I don't pretend to understand the whole set of regulations, and this is part of the problem.
In the women's 1500m both Hilary Stellingwerf and Sifuentes are guaranteed places on the team as they achieved the required standard in San Diego and Rome, I forget which was which! Reid may go for the 5,000m as Calgary does not seem like a good bet for her to improve her PB in the 1500m.