Andrew Ellerton finally gets desired breakthrough at the Harry Jerome International Track Classic
As the Harry Jerome International Track Classic race in Vancouver kicked-off in Burnaby, Canada, on Friday, July 1, local athletes showcased their athletic prowess during the country’s national holiday celebrations.
In presence of a talented field, where spectators were finding it hard to nominate the pre-favourite for the meet, it was the 800m winner of the 2002 Canadian junior championships, Andrew Ellerton, who marked his dominance for the same run. He took advantage
of a home field and outdid his American rival, Cas Loxsom, to finish-off his race in an emphatic one minute and 45.04 seconds.
The event, which observed a strong field emerging from sixteen different countries, also witnessed the creation of a meet record, while a number of local runners managed to depict the IAAF World Championships quality performance.
Ellerton, the 27-year old Canadian, like the rest of his countrymen, had always been a hockey admirer and was indeed a prominent player of the game. However, after 2001-02, when he won the all-city honours, he also started to enjoy a successful running start
while representing the Confederation High School on the track. For him, the thoughts of becoming a hockey player were completely vanished when the Canadian junior title at the 800m in 2002 was conferred upon him.
At the Harry Jerome International Track Classic, Ellerton not only earned the title, but also improved his personal best for over a second. Loxsom, the second finisher of the run, took one minute and 45.28 seconds for ending the race. The third position
on the podium was earned by another US runner, Richard Jones, who covered the required distance in one minute and 45.56 seconds.
Ellerton, who had been longing to qualify for the World Championships ‘A’ Standard, finally succeeded in the event. Dwelling upon this achievement, the contented looking runner said, “I’ve been running 1:46’s for a lot of years now. I had a pretty successful
collegiate career, I won a lot of things, but the stars have never rally aligned for me. So I’ve been healthy for a year and it’s finally come.”
For the stellar Canadian athlete, this performance was rather unexpected as he had been missing the said ‘A’ standard even at a time when he was enjoying the best of his game. Now, when he resumed the sport after a hiatus of 14 months after he was marred
by a foot fracture, earning such a huge success was not less than a miracle.
It was perhaps for this reason that while concluding his remarks, Ellerton said that he had always been anxiously looking forward to have the breakthrough, which he has finally achieved.
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