EIGHT OLYMPIC JUMPERS CONFIRMED FOR FESTIVAL OF EXCELLENCE – University of Toronto

Eight more Olympians have signed on to compete at the Festival of Excellence at the University of Toronto’s Varsity Centre on June 11th, this time in the men’s and women’s high jump events.

The men’s line-up includes eight athletes who have leapt over 2.30 metres. Among them are current world leader Andra Manson of the United States; fellow Americans Jesse Williams, a close competitor of Manson’s, and Jamie Nieto, who narrowly missed a medal at the 2004 Olympics; Canadian Mike Mason, a former world junior champion; and 2008 Olympian Dusty Jonas.

The women’s high jump event features two-time Olympian Chaunte Howard of the U.S., who has amassed many first-place national finishes in her career and is one of the top jumpers in the world this year. Three-time U.S. Olympian Amy Acuff and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Vita Styopina of the Ukraine round out the top three.

For more details on high jump athletes, visit www.festivalofexcellence.ca.

Presented by Rogers Hi-Speed Internet, the Festival of Excellence features a host of world-class athletes in several other events, including 800m women (wheelchair), pole vault (triathlon), pole vault women, 400m women, 400m men, 110mH (triathlon), mile men, 800m men, mile women, 400m men (triathlon), 100mH women and 100m men.

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.

Tickets for the Festival of Excellence are available through www.ticketbreak.com. For event details, visit www.festivalofexcellence.ca.

The University of Toronto has three campuses and is one of the world’s greatest public research universities, committed to offering its students outstanding academic and non-academic opportunities. The Faculty of Physical Education and Health offers three degree programs – BPHE, MSc and PhD – while providing recreation, instruction, intramural and intercollegiate programs for U of T students. The Faculty also aims to build Ontario’s capacity for high performance sport through its plans for the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport, an integrated research, teaching, training and competition centre of excellence adjacent to Varsity Centre at Bloor St. and Devonshire Place. For more information, visit www.physical.utoronto.ca.
 
Mary Beth Challoner
Manager, Promotions