Friday 15 August 2003
 
Monte-Carlo - With just one week to go to the 9th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Paris 2003 Saint-Denis, (23-31 Aug), the likely composition of the medal recipients for the sprint events surely couldn't be any more open.

Apart from the two 400 metres races in which Mexico's Ana Guevara and USA's Tyree Washington seem to be just a notch above the rest of the field, the rest of the women's or the men's sprint races have never been more open.

Still both one-lap races could offer unexpected surprises in Paris.

The women's 400m will be Ana Guevara's to lose as she has showed an amazing winning streak of 18 races since Edmonton's final two years ago where she finished a disappointing third. The Golden League Jackpot winner, Grand Prix Final and World Cup winner from last year, whose race tonight in Zurich will be her first European appearance of the season, leads the world season lists with an impressive 49.34 (24 May), almost four tenths of a second faster than Jamaican Lorraine Fenton's Lausanne winning time of 49.71. Fenton who was second at the 2000 Olympics and 2001 Worlds might well be tired of running for silver and offer the toughest challenge in Paris.

Defending champion Thiam, who had to deal with injuries since her surprising title two years ago, is certainly on the right track back to her best shape. She set a personal season's best of 50.67 in Berlin last Sunday when finishing second behind Fenton. Look out also for the fast finishing Russian trio of Svetlana Pospelova, Natalya Nazarova and Olesya Zykina.

In the men's 400m World Championships finals the USA have won five of the eight titles in the history of the championships. Edmonton 2001 was certainly an upset in these terms, since Bahamas' Avard Moncur took the title ahead of Ingo Schultz (GER) and Greg Haughton (JAM) with 1991 World champion Antonio Pettigrew the only American representative in that final (4th).

Things are likely to be very different in Paris this year considering the outstanding form of 26-year-old World Indoor champion Tyree Washington. Washington who won the US Trials in 44.33, the fastest time in the world this year, almost three tenths faster than Calvin Harrison (44.62) and Jerome Young (44.71).  However, still keep an eye on Commonwealth and World Cup winner Michael Blackwood of Jamaica whose best time of the year is 44.74.

The local support will undoubtedly go to France's Marc Raquil who improved on his own national record twice this year (44.80), and whose devastating last 100 metres have already upset a few.

With Bernard Williams, the fastest man in the 200m this year, deciding to concentrate on the shortest sprint, and Shawn Crawford, the second fastest this year failing to qualify for the Worlds, it will certainly leave the door open for new names to shine, though the name of Greece's Kostantinos Kenderis, the reigning World, Olympic, and European champion whose best time so far this year is a lowly 20.30, is likely still to dominate.

The women's half lap race will be just as open, with maybe a small edge for US champion Kelli White who, despite her excellent season over 100m still considers herself as a 200m specialist.

White, who will have run four rounds of the 100m and three 200m preliminaries before she lines up for the 200m final will have to keep a close eye on European champion Muriel Hurtis of France. Triple Commonwealth champion Debbie Ferguson of Bahamas and Pan American Games silver medallist Cydonie Mothersill of the Cayman Islands will be the Carribean's best bets for a spot on the podium.

Wise or should that be brave, is the person who tries to predict names of the eight athletes who will line-up for the men's 100m final on 25 August in Paris, let alone try to name the medallists.

The fastest time in the world this year is the possession of Australia's Patrick Johnson (9.93) with Maurice Greene close behind just one hundredth of a second slower. But Johnson's time was run in early May and Greene's performance dates back to early June.

Everyone has beaten everyone. Everyone has lost to everyone. The man who will win in Paris will not necessarily be the fastest one but the one with the toughest nerves. The USA will line-up four men: Bernard Williams (10.05), Tim Montgomery (10.04), Jon Drummond (10.07) and Greene (defending champion wild card). All four are capable of reaching the final.

Great Britain's trio of Dwain Chambers (10.03), Mark Lewis-Francis (10.07) and Darren Campbell (10.09) will all be aiming at being in the final 8. And that already adds up to seven athletes.

And then there is Commonwealth champion Kim Collins of Saint Kitts (10.00), Nigeria's Deji Aliu (10.00), Canada's Nicolas Macrozonaris (10.03), Namibia's Frank Fredericks (10.00), Aziz Zakari of Ghana (10.07), and Olympic finalist Obadele Thompson (10.08), to name but a few.

The women's 100m sprint race is just as open as the men's with Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas, the fastest in the world this year (10.89) wanting to take her revenge on Kelli White, whose win in Berlin deprived her of a share of the Golden League Jackpot.

White has been running brilliantly recently and her London-Berlin wins proves she can handle the pain. European record holder Christine Arron (11.07) who is coming back from maternity has scored important wins in Trikkala and Stockholm, and one can be sure that she will be mentally prepared to improve on her fourth place finishing in Athens 1997.

Defending champion Zhanna Block (UKR) will fight hard to defend her surprise 2001 World title despite an injury which damped her training schedule this summer. Double Olympic champion Gail Devers and World indoor medallist Torri Edwards will also be part of the game.

IAAF, http://www.iaaf.org/

Canadian Press
Tuesday, August 12, 2003

Reports of construction delays and traffic nightmares won't spoil the dream of Canadian sprinter Nicolas Macrozonaris to compete at the 2004 Olympics in his parents' home country of Greece.

The Games are scheduled to begin in Athens in one year — on Aug. 13, 2004 — and Macrozonaris is convinced they will be the experience of a lifetime.

"I ran at a Grand Prix in Greece a month and a half ago and the people were so nice," Macrozonaris said Tuesday in a telephone interview from a Canadian sprint team training camp in Chartres, France.

"Some people say there will be a lot of pressure on me because people there want me to succeed. I speak Greek. I am Greek and a lot of people will be cheering for me."

Much of the news out of Athens in recent months has been gloomy, dwelling on delays in finishing venues and on the frustration of negotiating the ancient city's labyrinth road system.

International Olympic Committee boss Jacques Rogge issued a warning in February that construction had to pick up for venues to be ready on time. But in April, he assured all that the job would be finished, barring strikes or further delays.

Macrozonaris, a Laval, Que., native whose parents are from the western Greek island of Corfu, is convinced all will be ready.

"I talked to some Greek athletes and they told me things were behind schedule but that everything would be fine," he said. "I know there's a lot of construction going on.

"But like in Canada, if you really want something, you can get it done. They're building new highways, a new airport. If you saw Athens in 1996 and see it now, it's a big difference."

Macrozonaris will go to Athens as Canada's latest sprint star, looking to follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Bruny Surin of Montreal, and 1996 100-metre champion Donovan Bailey of Oakville, Ont.

On May 4, Macrozonaris had a breakthrough race in Mexico City, clocking a sizzling 10.03 seconds and beating world record holder Tim Montgomery of the United States at a Grand Prix meet.

Since then, the sponsors have taken notice. He recently signed a three-year deal with Reebok shoes.

"Now I can train without worries for the first time in my life," Macrozonaris said.

Construction problems have delayed completion of venues for some sports, forcing pre-Games test events in wrestling, judo, mountain biking, canoeing and other sports to be moved elsewhere.

The 2004 European Cup athletics finals, due to be held in Athens 55 days before the game, were also moved.

But the Canadian Olympic Committee is no more worried about Athens than Macrozonaris. It has been scouting the city for several years, said committee CEO Chris Rudge.

"We don't have any worries about their ability to pull off the Games," Rudge said by telephone from the Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic. "The IOC is pretty hands-on in these situations."

The Pan Am Games organizers had their own problems with construction and transportation, but Rudge said the Canadian team wasn't fazed.

"When the gymnastics team showed up before the Games to train, all the equipment was still in crates," said Rudge. "They just unpacked the equipment and set it up themselves.

"The shooters showed up two days before the event and it wasn't ready. But I don't anticipate we'll have those sorts of problems in Athens."

He added that the oppressive heat and humidity in the Dominican Republic was likely more severe than the famed heat of Athens in summer, perhaps giving Canadian athletes a chance to learn about competing in hot weather.

Members of the Athens organizing committee were in Santo Domingo observing the Pan Ams and assuring all that the Olympics will be a success, Rudge added.

A Canadian team headed by chef de mission Dave Bedford and assistant chef Benoit Seguin is to leave Monday for Athens for another inspection of facilities, Rudge added.

The following piece first appeared at CanadaTrack and is being reproduced here courtesy of Nicolas' coach Daniel St-Hilaire and Duane Wysynski  (http://www.canadatrack.com/).

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The Next Habs Dynasty?

Just about every Canadian is familiar with the greatest dynasty ever to emerge from “La Belle Province”. The Montreal Canadiens of the 1950s through 1970s captivated the hockey world with talent, speed, ambition and determination. Now a new team is getting ready to bring those qualities to the arena of elite sprinting. And just for good measure, they’re making sure the teamwork component is there as well.

Consider the following roster:

Nicolas Macrozonaris, 22 years old: 2002 Canadian Champ (100m), 2003 Canadian Champ (100m and 200m), 2003 Banamex Grand Prix Champ (defeating WR holder Tim Montgomery in the process). Current Rank: 100m – 1st, 200m – 2nd

Hank Palmer, 18 years old: 2002 ISF World Gymnasiade Champ (100m and 200m), 2002 Canadian Junior Champ (100m), 2003 Canadian Junior Champ (100m and 200m), 2003 Junior Pan Ams finalist (200m), ran pb of 20.94 during that meet. Current Rank: 100m – 7th, 200m – 6th

David Pedneault, 17 years old: 2002 ISF World Gymnasiade finalist (200m), 2003 Canadian Junior silver (100m and 200m), 2003 World Youth Championships, 4th place (100m). Current Rank: 100m – 9th, 200m – 21st 

Pierre-Hans Horacius, 17 years old: 2002 ISF World Gymnasiade finalist (100m), 2003 World Youth Championships, 5th place (100m). Current Rank: 100m – 21st

Jarek Kulesza, 26 years old: 2003 Canadian Championships, 6th (100m) and 4th (200m), personal bests in 200m indoors, 100m and 200m in 2003. Current Rank: 100m – 8th, 200m – 8th

Daniel St-Hilaire, Jumps Events Leader and Head Coach of the Montreal Power-Speed Centre, provides us with some insight on the timely emergence of this new Montreal dynasty:

Commitment to Athletes and from Athletes is Key to Development

CanadaTrack has asked me how to explain this sudden emergence of Quebecois on the Canadian sprint scene. One of the main reasons for the event’s popularity in Quebec is the fascination kids of the early 1980s have had with champions like Donovan Bailey and, especially, Bruny Surin. Speed became a part of the Quebec Sports Culture after these two athletes became prominent. Bruny was seen everywhere, appearing on TV commercials as a spokesperson. Speed became fashionable.

Nicolas Macrozonaris was 16 years old when he saw Donovan Bailey win the 100m gold with a World Record Performance at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Bruny won gold in that Olympics, as well, as a member of the 4x100m relay team. He solidified his position as a mega star in the Quebec community that began in 1992 and lasted through to 2000. The current young group of sprinters that includes Hank Palmer, David Pedneault and Pierre-Hans Horacius were recruited in the Montreal region during those years and trained on the same track from 2000 to 2003. The same clubs and coaches were different, but the environment remained the same.

Pedneault and Horacius are currently coached by Marc-Elie Toussaint, while Macrozonaris and Palmer are coached by me. Both Macrozonaris and Horacius were coached by Sylvain Desmarais until September 2002 for Macrozonaris, and June 2003 for Horacius. Jarek Kulesza, another resident Quebecois who had an exceptional season, went for a stint in Poland between November 2002 and July 2003. One things common among this group is that none of them decided to go to the United States to pursue their education. They instead opted to stay and train at the Montreal Power-Speed Centre - centre supported by Sport-Canada, Athletics-Canada, the Quebec-Government, Montreal Multi-Sports Centre, Quebec Athletic Federation, City of Montreal, and Ville St-Laurent.

In Montreal, we are trying to mix them in training as often as possible during Starting Blocs, and especially during Maximal Speed Endurance and speed-endurance sessions. They learn how to stay focused during the race, even when they can sense their competitors close to them. They also learn that on a bad day, the other guy could make you feel that you are running in muddy water. Basically, they are learning from each other.

One of the targets that the Montreal sprinters have is to try to produce 4 sprinters capable of achieving a 4x100m Olympic & IAAF ‘A’ standard for 2008. Like an archer aiming at a target with his arrow, this target has assembled coaches and athletes on the same wave length and in pursuit of a common goal.

The Quebec female sprinters will emerge on the national scene in a few years. They are younger then the boys but appear to have as much talent. Genevieve Thibeault from the city of Quebec looks as though she could reach top level in the 100m hurdles one day. She has speed and rhythm, and has the attitude of a great hurdler. Two other young Quebec recruits could become the main opposition for current young stars Jennifer Hucul and Yvonne Mensah. Alexandrine Audet who is 15 years old, with a style reminiscent of Marie-Josιe Pιrec, and Kimberly Hyacinthe, a 14 year old who draws comparisons to Marion Jones. Both women are tall and slim, and could trend behind set by the men. Audet won 3 gold medals at the 2003 Quebec Games and Hyacinthe won the 100m and 200m at both the Quebec High School Championships and the Quebec Provincial Championships. They should be competing at the upcoming 2003 Canadian Royal Legion Championships in the midget division.

An important factor in helping athletes and coaches reach their targets is a program called “Team Quebec”. This provincially-sponsored program brings additional money to athletes on the “Programme-Excellence,” a kind of provincial team program where athletes receive “credit d’impot” or income tax credits. It helps parents and athletes with expenses incurred in developing their talent - training camps, massages, competition, etc. Depending on their level, athletes receive between $1,000 and $10,000 a year. Coaches who pay taxes in Quebec and have athletes carded by Athletics Canada, receive an additional $20,000 a year if they are full-time with at least a level 3 certification in the NCCP Education Program. In this way, more coaches are able to coach full-time. And later on, more athletes will benefit from full-time professionals committed to development.

The Quebec Model is not perfect, but the province is working to move young toward reaching optimal potential. Other Provinces could try to follow this model and convince politicians to put additional money into the sport. The Quebec Track Seeds will grow and become very productive by the 2008-2112 cycle. Imagine if each province put the same effort as Quebec, Canada could benefit from it and the next generation of Canadian Athletes could be even stronger then the present one. Imagine.

Daniel St-Hilaire
Jumps Events Leader & Head Coach
Montreal Power-Speed Centre

Nicolas finished fifth today in Spain in a time of 10.29 seconds at the Gran Premio Reebok meet. 

A fourth place finish in his semi-final in a time of 10.32 seconds placed him in the not so admired lane 8 for the final.

American Marcus Brunson won the race.

Full results:

chrisg@nicolasmacrozonaris.com

Nicolas leaves for Europe on August 7th, first stop will be Spain and the "Gran Premio Reebok" competition in San Sebastian on the 10th where he will line up for the 100-metres.

He will then move on to France for a Team-Canada training camp on August 11.

The Canadian team will participate in a pre-worlds tune-up meet on August 16-17.  A full range of individual events will be contested as well as a 4x100 metre relay race to close out the meet.

The 9th IAAF World Championships in Athletics begin on August 23 at Stade de France in Paris/Saint-Denis. 

Rounds of the men's 100-metres begin Sunday, August 24.

chrisg@nicolasmacrozonaris.com

SIGNS REEBOK DEAL

Laval speedster has breakthrough year

DAVE STUBBS 
The Gazette

Friday, August 01, 2003

Laval sprinter Nicolas Macrozonaris has forever had to take careful inventory of his track shoes, with only so many pairs in his closet to get him from race to race.

All that changed on Wednesday, when the 22-year-old 100- and 200-metre Canadian champion flew to the world headquarters of Reebok International in Canton, Mass., to be custom-fitted for his own limitless supply of spikes.

Yesterday, thinking of the whole world, except perhaps professional basketball, Macrozonaris asked, "How many 22-year-olds have their own shoe?"

Not many, you'd guess. But then, that's the orbit in which he's flying these days, a rising star in world sprinting with a glorious future laid out beneath his "Nicolas 1980" spikes, shoes bearing his year of birth and adorned with the maple leaf.

Last month, Macrozonaris successfully defended his Canadian 100-metre title at the national championships in Victoria, running a world-class 10.13 seconds. It was his second-fastest 100 ever.

Then he tore off two personal-best times, including a gold-medal 20.85 in the 200 metres, an event he rarely runs.

Macrozonaris became the first Canadian sprinter since Ben Johnson in 1987, and only the sixth of all time, to win both the 100 and 200 sprints.

In fact, he ran both only to submit to the stress of racing four rounds over two days, something he hopes to face this month in the 100 metres at the world championships in Paris.

It was the latest highlight in a season that took flight in the thin air of Mexico City in May, when Macrozonaris scorched the 1968 Olympic track with a victorious, lifetime-best 10.03 100 metres against a field that included world-record holder Tim Montgomery of the U.S.

He has followed that race with podium finishes at meets in the Netherlands and in Greece, the birthplace of his father and the site of next summer's Athens Olympics.

"In Greece," he said, "they treated me like a god."

Those runs, and other consistently strong efforts, have enriched Macrozonaris's life - and his long-fragile bottom line.

Represented by 1996 Olympic relay sprint champion Bruny Surin, a friend who's been there and done that, Macrozonaris last month signed a three-year goods, services and cash deal with Reebok. He'll no longer inventory his closet.

Not only will he be properly shod and attired, he'll have full support when he races the fastest men on earth. Macrozonaris can dip into his Reebok pot to bring his coach, Daniel St-Hilaire, and his massage therapist, Martin Brisset, anywhere he runs, until now a luxury.

Only a few months ago, Macrozonaris was so needy that he likely would have set up a sprint clinic on your driveway in exchange for a handout. Now, Surin is wading through offers big and small, recognizing from experience the delicate balance between frantically cashing in and spreading yourself too thin, which sacrifices quality training and the rest needed for recovery.

"Things are being poured at me, I'm flooded," Macrozonaris admitted gratefully before a water-running workout at Centre Claude Robillard. "There's so many things, I can't accept them all.

"But there's no rush now. The more I run, the better I do. It's not like we have to do it all now. My results haven't been a fluke."

He regrets saying no, not so much for turning down the dollars as for having to reject small-budget sponsors whose pat-on-the-back support he truly values.

"It's the little companies that can make a huge difference in an athlete's life," he said. "I appreciate that they want to support me.

"Money changes you, in a good way. I'm having to adapt to a new lifestyle, and I can finally live normally with no financial pressures. I can train properly and don't have to skip a meal if I need a massage.

"That's why I've been healthy this season and able to run 10.1s consistently, which is a huge accomplishment for a sprinter."

Macrozonaris is scheduled to race in Spain on Aug. 9, then will settle into a training camp with the national team to prepare for Worlds. No matter his results in Paris, he'll remember this as a landmark year.

He's stepped into the blocks against men mostly bigger and stronger, buying precious experience while sometimes showing them his heels. He's made a name for himself and secured some sponsorship; he's raced before tens of thousands of spectators in pressure-packed European, Golden League, Grand Prix and Super Grand Prix meets, things he'll face in the Olympic year - in 2004, 2008 and perhaps even beyond.

But most importantly, Macrozonaris has seen that the competition laces their spikes no differently than he does.

"My big problem the last two years was being intimidated by these guys," he said. "They were well dressed and they were built, bigger than me. But now I look at these guys and I believe I could rip them apart. Maybe not today, but eventually, when I develop better and get stronger."

With that, Macrozonaris was off to work out. And it was then you noticed there wasn't a scuff mark on his shiny new Reeboks.

dstubbs@thegazette.canwest.com