Bolt’s competitors and presenting sponsor, Rogers, confirmed for Festival of Excellence
May 27/09by : Communications
The University of Toronto today confirmed a stellar line-up of runners, including five Olympians, slated to compete in the marquee 100m race against world record holder Usain Bolt at the Festival of Excellence at Varsity Centre on June 11th.
The inaugural event, which has just secured presenting sponsorship from Rogers Hi-Speed Internet, will have the world watching as Bolt aims to beat his own world record while facing his 2008 Olympic 200m rival, silver medalist Shawn Crawford (USA).
Crawford, who won Olympic gold in 2004, finished 0.66 seconds behind Bolt in the 200m in Beijing. He joins the 100m line-up at the Festival of Excellence to challenge the world’s fastest man for the first time since last August.
Other athletes slated to run against Bolt include Olympians Marvin Anderson (JAM), Anson Henry (CAN), Jared Connaughton (CAN) and Bernard Williams (USA), as well as Mario Forsythe (JAM) and Ivory Williams (USA). For athlete bios, visit www.festivalofexcellence.ca.
“Rogers understands that the need for speed is the key to success,” said Phil Hartling, Vice President of Consumer Services for Rogers Cable. “Canadians demand it, and we deliver it through our fastest and most reliable Internet service .”
Other key events for the Festival of Excellence include 800m women (wheelchair), pole vault (triathlon), high jump women, pole vault women, high jump men,400m women, 400m men, 110mH (triathlon), mile men, 800m men, mile women, 400m men (triathlon) and 100mH women.
The Festival of Excellence is part of a series of track and field events celebrating Varsity Centre’s IAAF-certified track and the new throws area that makes its debut in June. Other key events include the OFSAA track and field championships, Ontario’s biggest high school athletics event, which takes place June 4-6, and the 2009 Canadian senior track and field championships June 25-28.
The breadth of this summer’s line-up reflects U of T’s playground-to-podium philosophy, which fosters long-term development for all students and athletes, from the elementary school student to the international competitor. The playground-to-podium model extends to the proposed Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport, which when complete will feature a world-class sport medicine clinic, sport science research and teaching labs, and the 2,000-seat Kimel Family Field House for basketball and volleyball. The Goldring Centre will serve as a major nexus for innovation in sports science research, sports medicine and the training of coaches.