Sport Nova Scotia – Toronto’s Crystal Emmanuel has twice raced for Canada at 200 meters in the Olympic Games (London and Rio), and has a third in Tokyo as her goal while she prepares for the 2017 Canadian national championships next month. As part of that preparation she will be competing in the Aileen Meagher International Track Classic Saturday evening at Huskie’s Stadium in Halifax.

Emmanuel’s experience has taught her how tough Olympic qualification can be. The physical and emotional demands of elite level performance have taught her patience, and at this stage in her career she is taking it one year at a time. She credits her mother, an athlete herself over 30 years ago, for not just her own speed, but for setting an example to follow . “I saw that she did not give up in spite of her challenges and that is what keeps me going.”

Emmanuel’s experience is also paying off in her own ability to understand her training and her needs in immediate pre-race preparation. She recognizes that reaching her season’s competitive peak takes time, and can’t be rushed. A race like this Saturday’s Meagher 200 meters  is part of that preparation, providing a chance to gauge her progress towards a planned peak at the nationals, and hopefully at the world championships in London in August.

She admits that pre-race nerves can be a problem, even for one as experienced as herself.

“You can get too nervous if you are thinking too much about the race. I listen to my music and try to chill until it’s time to step behind the blocks.”

When she is in those blocks Saturday evening watch for Crystal Emmanuel to burst from them and race one of the fastest women’s 200 meters ever seen in Nova Scotia.

That 200 meters is one of several international level performances to be seen at this year’s Aileen Meagher International Track Classic at Huskies Stadium in Halifax.

For more information:

Randy Barkhouse
Sport Nova Scotia
Randy.barkhouse@dal.ca