Team of 57 takes to Panamerican Junior Championships in Florida

Thursday, July 21, 2011

OTTAWA - The Panamerican Junior Athletics Championships begin tomorrow in Miramar, Florida at the Ansin Sports Complex.  Fifty-Seven junior aged athletes (18-19 years of age) will take to the international stage looking for personal best and podium performances.  “The objectives of the team are very clear with the coaching staff committed to ensuring this team has a positive and successful experience,” said Head Coach Carla Nicholls.

Coach Nicholls added, “Individually each athlete is expected to perform with personal bests as their goal.  The team goal is to exceed the medal count from the 2009 Panamerican juniors which was 13 medals (3 gold, 3 silver, 7 bronze).”

Go to http://bit.ly/qPLMIC to view the complete competition schedule featuring which Canadian athletes compete when.

Day 1 highlights

·         Aaron Brown of Toronto, Ont., is looking to continue his strong year in the 100-metres.  He is coming off a gold medal at the Canadian Junior Championships, and in late June won bronze at the Canadian Senior Championships.  Brown is a bronze medalist over 200-metres from the 2010 World Junior Championships.

·         Katie Reid of Surrey, B.C., will line-up in tomorrow’s 400-metres semi-finals with an eye on securing her place in the final later in the evening. Reid, the 2011 Canadian Junior champion in the 400-metres, was a finalist at the Canadian Senior championships in Calgary.  Katie is Athletics Canada’s reigning Youth Athlete of the Year.

·         In the men’s 400-metres Tremaine Harris of Markham, Ont., takes to the track with a podium finish in his sights.  Harris won Canadian junior gold in the 200 and 400-metres, and also took the gold at the Senior Championships in the 400-metres.  

For more information on the Panamerican Junior Championships visit: http://www.athletics.ca/page.asp?id=551.

-AC-