Olympics 2012: Holder Leaps for Glory
Canadian hurdler, Nikkita Holder, has worked hard to qualify for London 2012, and now gets the chance to take on Australia’s Sally Pearson in the women’s 100m event.
However, the road to London was not without its pitfalls, as no less than five other athletes managed to post an Olympic qualifying time at last month’s trials, and so met in Calgary to determine the best trio.
Even before the race, Holder looked up against it, as she tripped over a hurdle during practise and went crashing to the ground.
Luckily it was nothing serious, indeed she was even able to laugh at her own misfortune before finally qualifying in third place.
She had made it on the plane to London by a whisker, with 2008 silver medallist, Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, back in fifth. Former world champion, Perdita Felicien, meanwhile, never got a chance, as she was disqualified for a false start.
None of that concerns Holder though, and having finished sixth at last year’s world championships, she is now ready to give her all for Canada in an event dominated by the USA and Jamaica.
Her fiancé is the Canadian men’s 100m champion, Justyn Warner, who has also made it to London 2012, so if she needs any extra pep talks, he will be at hand to provide them.
Whether words will be enough to stop Sally Pearson from taking the gold is debatable though.The Australian is the only woman to have run faster than 12.5 seconds this year, having done so three times, in fact.
Also in the heats will be the second and third fastest women this year, Brigitte Foster-Hylton, of Jamaica, and Kellie Wells, of the USA.
Completing Canada’s three entries are Jessica Zelinka, a versatile athlete who beat her own record in the pentathlon, as well as winning the national hurdling trials, and Phylicia George, seventh at last year’s world championships.