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Gary Reed of Victoria and Tyler Christopher of Edmonton, who both know what it’s like to reach a world championship podium, top the list of Canadian track and field athletes officially named to Canada’s Olympic team this morning for the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Games.

RICHARD LAUTENS/TORONTO STAR

Nicole Forrester takes the high road to Beijing.

Reed and Christopher are among the contenders in two of the sport’s most competitive events. Reed captured a silver medal in the 800 metres at last year’s worlds in Osaka, Japan, while Christopher captured the world title indoors in the 400 metres this year and won a bronze outdoors at the 2005 worlds. The Canadian team has 28 members confirmed right now and could rise to 34 if another six athletes can make the qualifying standard before July 22.

Among those grant an extension due to injury is Pickering hurdler Perdita Felicien, a former world champion who last year captured silver at the worlds in Osaka in a remarkable comeback from her disaster in Athens. She hasn’t been able to hurdle since February because of a foot injury. She has to run the B qualifying standard (13.11 seconds) in the next two weeks to secure a spot on the team.

Here’s the team officially announced here this morning at a fundraiser breakfast:

Richard Adu-Bobie, Ottawa, men’s 4 x 100m relay
Ruky Abudlai, Coquitlam, B.C., women’s long jump
Dylan Armstrong, Kamloops, B.C., men’s shot put
Brian Barnett, Edmonton, men’s 200 metres, 4 x 100 relay
Tim Berrett, Edmonton, men’s 50km race walk
Massimo Bertocchi, Toronto, decathlon
Pierre Brown, Toronto, 4 x 100m relay
Tabia Charles, Pickering, women’s long jump
Tyler Christopher, Edmonton, men’s 400 metres
Jared Connaughton, New Haven, P.E.I., men’s 200 metres, relay
Nicole Forrester, Aurora, Ont., women’s high jump
Sultana Frizell, Perth, Ont., women’s hammer throw
Kelsey Hendry, Saskatoon, women’s pole vault
Anson Henry, Pickering, men’s 100m, relay
Priscilla Lopes-Schleip, Whitby women’s 100m hurdles
Mike Mason, Nanoose Bay, B.C., men’s high jump
Megan Metcalfe, Edmonton, women’s 5,000 metres
Taylor Milne, Guelph, men’s 1,500 metres
Carline Muir, Toronto, women’s 200 metres
Hank Palmer, Montreal, men’s 4 x 100 relay
Emanual Parris, Etobicoke, men’s 4 x 100m relay
Adrienne Power, Halifax, women’s 200 metres
Gary Reed, Victoria, men’s 800 metres
Scott Russell, Windsor, men’s javelin
Jim Steacy, Lethbridge, Alta., men’s hammer throw
Kevin Sullivan, Brantford, men’s 1,500 metres
Achraf Tadili, Montreal, men’s 800 metres
Angela Whyte, Edmonton, women’s 100m hurdles
Jessica Zelinka, London, Ont., heptathlon

On the bubble, all needing to run a qualifying standard before July 22:

Nate Brannen, Cambridge, Ont., 1,500m, needs to run 3:36.60
Adam Kunkel, Paisley, Ont., men’s 400m hurdles, needs to run 48.50 seconds
Malindi Elmore, Kelowna, B.C., women’s 1,500, can secure spot with 4:05.70
Perdita Felicien, Pickering, women’s 100m hurdles, needs to run 13.11 seconds
Dana Ellis, Kitchener, women’s pole vault, needs to jump 4.45 twice or 4.54 once
Hilary Stellingwerff, Sarnia, women’s 1,500, can secure spot with 4:05.70

Comments

[Chuck]

Why is Jason Tunks not on the team? He won the event, and I thought he had surpassed the olympic standard. Please clarify this for me if you can
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RANDY STARKMAN: Tunks needed to throw the A+ standard of 64.50 metres to earn a spot on the team, but only managed 56.26 in winning the event.

[Phil Andrews]

How about possible 10,000 metres competitor Eric Gillis. He has a B-level qualifying time. Will he be named to the team?
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RANDY STARKMAN: Gillis needed the A+ standard of 13:19.62 in the 5,000 metres and ran 13:55.65 at the trials. Athletics Canada could have chosen him under their “rising star” criteria in the 10,000, but chose not to.

[James McNally]

Hmmm...wondering why marathoner Lioudmila Kortchaguina is not on the list. She's made the B standard and it's been years since we had anyone in the marathon. Any idea why she's not included?
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RANDY STARKMAN: Kortchaguina was unable to make the marathon standard set by Athetics Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee by the May 25 deadline. She also could have been selected under the “rising star” criteria despite just turning 37 – they’re not allowed to age discriminate – but Athletics Canada chose not to select her. Canadian Running magazine has a big takeout on marathon standards. (http://www.runningmagazine.ca/)

[Chataway]

Eric Gillis is going to appeal and my god I hope it works.
Athletics Canada and the Canadian Olympic people have done a fantastic job in cultivating a perception that the Olympic Standards are designed first and foremost as a process of preventing athletes from going to the Games and not for raising the bar in terms of athletic development (evidently the reason for setting these standards).
And what are the chances that it will be a fast 10km in August?