Moncton, New Brunswick
"Proudfoot Punches Ticket to World Juniors; Ehrhardt Golden Again"
Sudbury's Track North Athletic Club capped its best ever performance
at a National Junior Track and Field Championships with two members
being selected to compete for Canada at the upcoming World Junior
Track and Field Championships.
Ross Proudfoot (Lively, ON) was selected to Team Canada today
following his silver medal peformance in the Men's 5000m event at the
Canadian Junior Track and Field Championships contested today in
Moncton. Proudfoot, competing in his first ever 5000m race on the
track, finished the race in a time of 14 minutes 43.35 seconds. In a
field of 27 runners, Proudfoot sat in 3rd place for the majority of
the race but finished with a strong kick over the final 600 metres to
earn his spot to represent Canada at the World Track and Field
Championships also being contested in Moncton from July 19th to 25th.
Mohammed Ahmed of St. Catherines won the race in 14:15.92.
Proudfoot, who also placed 4th in the 1500m event on Saturday, will
compete against the best 5000m competitors in the world on Saturday,
July 24th.
Caroline Ehrhardt (Espanola, ON) defended her Canadian Junior Triple
Jump title with a winning performance of 12.54 metres. This mark was
a remarkable 59 centimetres ahead of second place. Based on this
result, Ehrhardt will also compete for Canada in the triple jump at
the World Championships. Ehrhardt also qualified in the Long Jump
following her gold medal in that event on Saturday.
Ehrhardt will compete at the World Championships on Tuesday and
Wednesday, July 22nd and 23rd.
Following his race, Proudfoot commented: "I am really excited to
compete at the World Championships and have the opportunity to
represent my country." Regarding his race, he noted: "Today's race
went exactly as planned. We knew going in that if I finished in first
or second I had a good chance of being named to the team. I started
out strong and sat third until I felt confident I could kick for home."
Track North coach Darren Jermyn commented: "Ross ran the perfect race
today. We were concerned that the two 1500m races he ran earlier at
the championships would affect his performance but his tactics in the
race set him up perfectly to earn his spot on the Worlds Team and once again he
got the job done."
Long-time Track North coach Dick Moss noted: "We have had several
medallists at the National Junior Championships in the past but this
is definitely our finest peformance as a team at a national event. We
are ecstatic to have 2 athletes represent Canada later this month."
Other impressive results for Track North included:
Jeremy Cooper (Manitowaning, ON) also competed in the 5000m event and
finished in 11th spot with a final time of 15 minutes, 20.96 seconds.
Cooper noted: "This was my first Nationals and I'm very proud of both
my finishing time and position. I have two more years to compete at
this level and I look foward to moving up the ladder."
Emma Tallman (Mindemoya, ON) finished 3rd in the Womens' 800m
Consolation Final with a time 2:14.59. This ranked 15th overall in
the event.
Attached Photos:
1. Ross Proudfoot competing at National Juniors
2. Caroline Ehrhardt competing in Triple Jump
3. Jeremy Cooper - 5000m final
