It wasn’t an ideal scene for a national final, but for Farah Jacques and her fellow competitors, they still managed to put on a show. With a significant amount of rain beating down on the Claude Robillard Stadium and the Canadian Olympic Trials, organizers took the decision to push the start of the 100 metre hurdles a few hours in hopes of gaining some reprieve from Mother Nature. Despite the prayers to the weather gods, and some fervent squeegeeing it was still a wet and raining race.
However, the rain drops didn’t slow the field down as Farah Jacques sped her way to a bronze medal and the second fastest time of her season (13.44 w+2.3). Behind gold and silver medalists Michelle Harrison and Mariam Abdul-Rashid, Jacques was in a constant battle over all ten barriers with Astrid Nyame. In the end it was Jacques faster feet off the final hurdle and a well time lean that brought her home the bronze, just four hundredths ahead of Nyame. Jacques had previously won hurdles bronze in 2018.
Across the pond at the French Olympic trials, Maeliss Trapeau posted a seventh place finish in the 800 metre event. The recent University of Ottawa graduate had been struggling with a nagging injury most of the spring, only opening her season two weeks ago. However, a strong push in the homestretch of the semi-final earned her the last spot in the final, which she put to good use with a seasonal best effort of 2:05.26. The time was also the fourth fastest of her career.
With the conclusion of the Olympic Trials, next up for the Lions is Tuesday’s Montreal Track Classic that should see six Lions in action including Trials medalists Farah Jacques and Melissa Bishop-Nriagu.
Final decisions on members of Canada’s Olympic Team heading to Tokyo will be out later this week and we will have a run down of Lions heading to Japan when that is announced.