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TORONTO -- Canadian hurdler Perdita Felicien retired from competition Thursday, ending a career marked by a number of glorious highs along with crushing disappointment at the Summer Olympics. Aaron Murray Youth Jersey . Felicien won a world outdoor title in 2003 and added a world indoor title a year later. She was a favourite to win gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics but instead provided one of the more shocking moments of the Games. Felicien tripped over a hurdle and fell to the ground in the final of what would be her last appearance on the Olympic track. "I think thats what this career has been -- it has been a cocktail of triumphs, a cocktail of defeats. Its a mishmash of everything," Felicien said. "But I will say that the one moment that I felt in 2003, if it meant I had to re-live 10,000 moments like Athens, I would." Felicien proudly watched a replay of her historic effort in Paris on a big screen after making her retirement announcement in front of a few hundred children at a Toronto elementary school. She ran the 100-metre hurdles in 12.53 seconds that day in 2003 to become the first Canadian woman to win an athletics gold medal at the world outdoor championships. "There was so much elation in that moment, it was so intoxicating," she said. "It was all the things that you have worked for, all the things that you had put together, the pieces of the puzzle came together in perfect synergy and I cant explain it more than that. "And yes, Athens was dark and it was terrible and it was horrible. And it will always be the one for me that got away. But at the same time I think its made me a more wholesome person. I dont take things for granted anymore." The 33-year-old from Pickering, Ont., has a sparkling resume from her 13-year track career. Felicien retires as the Canadian record-holder in both the 100-metre hurdles (12.46 seconds) and 60-metre hurdles (7.75). Shes a 10-time national champion, two-time Olympian and two-time Pan Am Games silver medallist. Felicien competed in eight world championships over a 10-year span, taking gold at the 2004 indoor world championships in Budapest, and is a three-time NCAA champion. She started thinking about retirement a few months ago when she wondered whether another four-year Olympic cycle was in the cards. "Quite frankly the tiger that you need to have inside, instead of roaring, it started to purr," she said. "I knew that was a sign that I had to bow out gracefully." After the heartbreak in Athens, her Olympic disappointment continued at the 2008 Beijing Games when she was unable to race due to a foot injury. She was gunning for Olympic redemption in the summer of 2012 but failed to qualify for the London-bound team after false-starting in the final at the trials. "For me, the Olympic medal is the only thing that has eluded me," she said. "I dont cry myself to sleep at night over it. I tried valiantly for four Olympic cycles to go after it and it just never happened on the day. But to be amongst the top five, the top six for 10 years, I dont think anyone else has that credit to their name. "So I sleep well at night knowing that I gave everything I had every single time that I was on the track and thats all that I could do." Felicien, who worked as a track analyst at the 2008 Games, plans to start work as a videographer at a Hamilton television station next month. She recently earned a post-graduate certificate in broadcast journalism. "When youre an athlete racing, you never think its going to happen," she said of retirement. "But the day is here. Im older now and a new life beckons." Felicien is the second high-profile Canadian Olympian to call it quits this week. Triathlete Simon Whitfield officially announced his retirement on Wednesday. Prior to making her announcement, Felicien tweeted about how she was feeling. "Today feels just like race day," she said. "No appetite. Major butterflies. Nervous energy. Happy. :)" Fair or not, the image of Felicien sitting in stunned disbelief after her fall on the Athens track -- her hand on her forehead as she leaned against a toppled hurdle -- was one of the lasting memories from that Olympiad. Despite her many successes, she knows it will be a part of what people remember about her career. "I know the narrative is always going to be 2004 and Ive really made peace with that," she said. "If thats a narrative that people are going to use, its on them. But I still think for me its a story that Im really going to use to help empower kids and show them that your darkest hour doesnt define you. "So for me, Im proud of what Ive accomplished. No Olympic medals, which is the one thing Ive always wanted. But I showed myself that on any given day Ive been one of the best." Kyle Williams Jersey . - The NFLs officiating chief has cleared Broncos receiver Wes Welker of any wrongdoing for his hit that knocked Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib out of Sundays AFC Championship. Joe Mays Youth Jersey . -- Jermaine Marshall scored eight of his 29 points in the second overtime and Jordan Bachynski blocked T.RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- Canadian womens amateur golf champion Brooke Henderson is a little less starstruck as she prepares for her second career appearance at an LPGA Tour major event. The 16-year-old student from Smith Falls, Ont., says she has more tour experience now than when she competed at the 2013 Womens U.S. Open, where she made the cut but finished tied for 59th. Her first major appearance came in just her second career tour event. Henderson will be a little more relaxed at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, which begins Thursday at Mission Hills Country Club. "This will be my fifth (tour event), so its just a lot more comfortable being around the big stars," she said Wednesday on a conference call. "They know me a little bit better and call me by name, which is pretty cool. "My nerves have calmed down a little bit and I know what to expect, where I was a little unsure in the beginning at the U.S. Oppen. Husain Abdullah Womens Jersey. " The event comes with a US$300,000 first prize and $2-million total purse although as an amateur, that doesnt matter to Henderson. Shes one of 10 amateurs invited to compete. Henderson, the sixth-ranked womens amateur golfer in the world, will be joined by 22-year-old pro Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Richmond Hill, Ont., the only other Canadian in the field. Henderson has yet to finish high school but has already verbally committed to a scholarship at the University of Florida. She hopes to crack the top three in the world amateur rankings by the end of the summer. Older sister Brittany will caddy for her at Mission Hills, as she did at the U.S. Open. Henderson credits her sister, whos also a golfer, for being a role model. "I grew up watching her play and wanted to be exactly like her," she said. "I used to follow her around at tournaments ... she knows my game very well." Wholesale Jerseys ' ' ' |
