The 2013 National Track League (#NTL2013) announced that 37 Olympians have confirmed their participation at the 3rd annual Toronto International Track & Field Games (TITFG) on June 11 at the University of Toronto's Varsity Centre.
The Toronto competition serves as the second of five stops in NTL2013. The series will crown champions in ten events and will feature some of the best athletes from Canada and around the world.
Headliners at the TITFG include 2012 Olympic Games bronze high jump medalist Derek Drouin of Corunna, Ont., reigning 100m Commonwealth Games and Pan American Games champion Lerone Clarke of Jamaica; and 2012 Olympic Games gold medalist and previous World and Pan American Games Champion Lauryn Williams in the women's 100-metres.
Drouin, currently ranked second in the world, is in the middle of a remarkable season winning recently at the prestigious Penn Relays with a jump of 2.33 metres, breaking a 37 year old meet record in the process. At the TITFG, Drouin will be challenged by fellow Canadian Michael Mason of Nanoose Bay, B.C., currently ranked sixth in the world, with a seasonal best of 2.31 metres. Drouin and Mason are sure to put on a spectacular show, setting the stage for the Canadian Championships and World Championship Trials held later in June.
In the men's 100-metres Jamaica's Lerone Clarke will face a pair of Greater Toronto Area products in Markham's Justyn Warner and Toronto's Aaron Brown. Warner set a personal best of 10.09 in the 100-metres to advance to the semi-finals at the Olympic Games in London. Brown missed advancing to the 200-metres final at the Olympic Games in London by one-hundredth of a second and posted an impressive 10.07 in the 100-metres in the NCAA this season. A large crowd is sure to be out in full force to cheer on these local speed merchants as they take on Clarke as well as two-time Olympian Rondell Sorrillo of Trinidad & Tobago and Jason Rogers of St. Kitts & Nevis, who will also race the 100-metres in Toronto.
The men's 400-metres will feature a pair of 2012 Olympic Games medallists in Michael Mathieu of the Bahamas and Manteo Mitchell of the United States. Mitchell ran in the qualifying round of the 4x400-metres at the London Olympic Games only to reveal afterwards that he broke his left fibula at the 200-metre mark. Nevertheless Mitchell finished his leg of the 4x400-metres in a time of 46.1 seconds to help the American team qualify for the final where they claimed silver behind Michael Mathieu and the Bahamas.
The TITFG will also feature Ontario's next generation of stars in the Cisco Fastest Kid in Ontario competition, a province-wide quest to find Ontario's fastest girl and boy. Ontarians aged 11 years and younger are participating in eight regional qualifying events in communities across Ontario for the opportunity to race in the final in front of a packed Varsity Centre.
For more information on the NTL2013's TITFG, including ticket information and a complete entry list please visit www.totrack.ca or follow us on Twitter @TOTFGames.
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WHAT: |
The Toronto International Track & Field Games (TITFG) serves as the second stop in the 2013 National Track League (NTL2013). The series crowns champions in 10 events. Ontario's next generation of stars will also be showcased in a series of high school and elementary school events. |
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WHEN: |
Tuesday, June 11, 2013 |
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WHERE: |
Varsity Centre, University of Toronto, John L. Davenport Track |
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WHO: |
37 Olympians including: Canadian high jump Olympic bronze medallist Derek Drouin Reigning Commonwealth Games and Pan American Games Champion Lerone Clarke of Jamaica 100m World Champion Lauryn Williams |