Passing on the Pan Ams pays off; Stellingwerff qualifies for worlds

SCOTT STEPHENSON

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Hilary Stellingwerff's decision to pass up the Pan American Games in Brazil so she could concentrate on qualifying for next month's World Track and Field Championships turned out to be the right choice.

The Sarnia native's victory in the 1,500 metre race on Saturday at the Canadian National Track and Field Championships in Windsor earned her a place on the Canadian team that will compete in Osaka, Japan, Aug. 25-Sept. 2.

"I am very excited and relieved that I'd done it (the time) before nationals so I could focus on training and competing well at the championships. It's one thing to know you are close to and capable of qualifying, but it's another thing to actually qualify. So, it was quite nerve racking coming into nationals knowing I just had to 'close the deal' so to speak," Stellingwerff, back home in Switzerland, told The Observer.

Earlier this month while competing on the Golden League circuit in Paris, Stellingwerff achieved the Canadian "A" standard (4:07.0) she needed to be eligible to represent Canada at the world championship level when she set a personal best time of 4:05.69.

As a result, Stellingwerff just needed to finish in the top three to qualify for the Canadian team heading to Osaka.

Stellingwerff guaranteed herself a spot on the national team going to Japan when she edged out Malindi Elmore by half a second to claim the gold medal in a time of 4:12.66.

Stellingwerff said she was both excited and relieved when the race ended.

"We have some very strong women's 1500m runners in Canada, which makes our event one of the strongest for the country," said Stellingwerff, noting Canada is sending three women to compete in the 1,500m at the World Championships. That's the maximum number of athletes an country can enter in a single event.

"Winning the championship is very significant and special to me, especially in Windsor as I had tons of family and friends there watching. It was an amazing feeling crossing the line in first and looking up into the stands to see my entire family and many friends there," she said.

Adding, "it was relief knowing that I had succeeded in fulfilling all the criteria I needed to secure my spot for Worlds."

Still, Stellingwerff admitted to being a little on edge entering the competition.

"Coming in from Europe three days before, I was a bit nervous about being jet lagged. In the qualifying rounds on Friday I didn't feel so great, which made me very nervous going into the final. But, I was very lucky because Dr. John Vargo, my chiropractor from Sarnia, came down to Windsor and worked with me everyday of the competition to make sure I was ready to go. The day of the final, things came around and I felt pretty good coming into the final stretch."

As Stellingwerff expected, the 1,500m final was a tactical race.

"This race was slow and tactical in the first half. My plan was just to sit back and react to any moves made," Stellingwerff said, explaining her strategy on the track. "My strength is my kick or my finishing speed, so it isn't necessary for me to lead or push the pace. There were a couple moves made in the final two laps, but most significantly, my biggest competitor Malindi Elmore picked up the pace with 400 metres to go and I just followed and waited until the final straight to make my move.

"When you wait till the end, people have less time to react and come back on you - it's more of a surprise. The defending champ Carmen Douma-Hussar was out with an injury so I was expecting that it would be a final race between Malindi and I in the final lap but of course you never can discount anyone with the young talent we have coming up. Malindi and I have been back and forth all season racing in Europe together. We've even been training together while she has stayed with us in Switzerland. So I knew it would be tight, but I was ready to work as hard as possible to make Saturday my day."

Stellingwerff said she enjoyed running on Canadian soil again.

"It was awesome coming back to Canada and running in familiar territory. I haven't raced in Windsor since my SWOSSA days in high school, and now it's a whole new facility. But it still felt so familiar because I saw the same people there: same announcers, officials, athletes very deja vu! And, I had tons of family and friends who don't get to see me race much. My high school coach Mark MacDonald was there, and my current coach and club from Guelph. It was great. And Olympic Trials will be there next year so I'm looking forward to going back."

Sunday, Stellingwerff headed home to Lausanne, Switzerland with husband Trent who works as an exercise physiologist for PowerBar, to begin training for the World Championships.

In early August Stellingwerff plans on competing in a Grand Prix meet in Stockholm, then in mid-August will join the Canadian team in Singapore for a brief training camp before heading to Osaka for the World Championships.

Stellingwerff, currently ranked 14th in the world, said her goal for Osaka is to make the final (top 12).

"It will be tough and I'll have to be on top of my game, but that's why I need to get some good training in and then go to work in Japan. I'm really excited to see what I can do," she said.

Following the World championships, Stellingwerff will continue training with a further goal of making next year's Canadian Olympic Team.

"I have achieved the "A+" (4:05.70) standard for the Olympics next year, which is part of the qualifying criteria. But, I still have to run another "A" standard next year and get a top-three finish at nationals to solidify my spot on the Olympic Team," she said.

Achieving the A+ standard this year is a huge advantage for Stellingwerff because she won't have to gear up to try and run so fast early next season. Instead, she can focus on peaking for the Olympics.

"The Olympics has always been a dream for me so this is most definitely something I'm pursuing," said Stellingwerff.