News

Aug. 5, 2006- Ottawa, Ont.

Hilary reclaims silver medal in 1500m at Canadian Nationals

After preliminary rounds of the women's 1500m were cancelled, the competition of Saturday's final was elevated. Every women stepping to the line had fresh legs, which meant good tactics were important. Although three women in the field, Carmen Douma-Hussar, Malindi Elmore and Stellingwerff, looked to be the strong favourites, there were many young talents looking to make their mark.

Hilary was fully aware of the strong competition she was up against and did not go into the race without a plan.

"Of course I'm bias, but I think the women's 1500m is one of the strongest events in Canada right now. Over the last few years, Canadian women have continued to improve and show up on the world scene," says Hilary. "I knew there were a lot of very motivated athletes in this field and girls are improving every year, which is why I wasn't taking the competition lightly. I wanted to lead out with a fast pace and see who followed."

Hilary lead the first 400m of the 1500m final in around 66 seconds, with the majority of the field following close behind, Douma Hussar and Elmore directly behind her. Shortly after the 500m mark, Douma-Hussar moved up to share the lead with Hilary. But the second lap slowed considerable and they crossed 800m in around 2:18. This meant the race would likely come down to a kick.

"After the 800m split I knew our final time would not be fast so I just prepared for a fast finishing lap kick. I knew I could be competitive in the final straight if I was patient and made the right moves," said Hilary.

With 600m to go, Megan Brown, a young up-and-coming talent, made a gutsy move and took the lead. "I didn't want to just sit back and let the other three do all the work, and I wanted to give myself the best chance, which meant kicking early," said Brown after the race.

Going into the bell, Douma Hussar overtook Brown, while Stellingwerff and Elmore followed suit, all taking position and ready to pounce going into the final 200m. Going into the last bend, Elmore made a strong push into the lead and the race began down the finishing straight. Douma-Hussar kicked past Elmore with about 70m to go and it looked like the top three positions were final (Douma-Hussar, Elmore and Stellingwerff). But Stellingwerff made one final push and overtook Elmore at the line.

So, the final tally was Douma-Hussar successfullying defending her title in a time of 4:12.83, Stellingwerff obtaining the silver medal for the second year in a row with 4:13.04, and Elmore proving she's coming back strong after being hit with a year of injuries after her Olympic debute in 2004, rounding out the medals at 4:13.15.

Hilary says she's pleased with the silver medal, but hopes to continue her improvement and challenge the gold medal in coming years.

"I was happy with my performance today. Like I said before, there were a lot of talented girls in the field and I knew Carmen and Malindi would be tough to beat," said Hilary after the race. "But of course I'd love to be Canadian champion and I know that feat won't come easy so I plan to keep working hard and setting my sights high."

Hilary will return to Europe in the coming week and plans to race a few more times during the month of August before taking a break.

1500m Finals
1 Douma Hussar, Carmen ON - Guelph Tfc 4:12.83
2 Stellingwerff, Hilary ON - Speed River 4:13.04
3 Elmore, Malindi AB - Asics 4:13.15
4 Brown, Megan ON - Newmarket 4:17.32
5 Trembath, Darolyn MB - Bison T.C. 4:20.67
6 Sieminska, Edyta AB - Thunder 4:22.26
7 MacLean, Leanna NS - Swift Athl. 4:25.93
8 Mcgown, Amber SK - Tisdale 4:26.32
9 Stallwood, Rebecca ON - Hamilton 4:28.18
10 Biewald, Jenni ON - Ott. Lions 4:28.86

Full results are be posted here

Click here for IAAF write-up of the meet

Click here for meet website

Photos from 2006 Canadian Nationals (Aug. 5, 2006; Ottawa, ON.)

Top&Bottom: Hilary leads the first lap in 66 ahead of Carmen Douman-Hussar (227) and Malindi Elmore (240)

Top&Bottom: Megan Brown (176) and Carmen Douma-Hussar (227) take to leading the third lap.

Tight finishing stretch drive, as only 3-tenths of a second seperated first to third place. Hilary came from behind to nip Elmore at the line.

Hilary being announced as the silver medallist.

(Note: Photos from AC website and Veronic Bezaire)