This past weekend while spending time at the Richmond Oval we had a chance to catch part of the indoor track meet.
Having the opportunity to catch up with Brian Pound who graciously submitted the following article to us gave us the chance to talk about the upcoming Harry Jerome Track meet upcoming this June at Swanguard Stadium.
The second indoor track competition in the lower mainland will be held on Saturday, March 12th at the Richmond Olympic Oval.
The Gran Forza V concept of the past 5 years will be morphed into a more extended format to provide high school athletes competition as well as to Open, Masters and Junior Development athletes
The new concept will honour the past while inspiring the future.
The meet will be known as The Province Percy Williams Indoor Games, keeping the memory alive of the Vancouver sprinter who won the 1928 Olympic Games 100m and 200m in Amsterdam.
The King Edward High School athlete was the only Canadian to win both sprint titles in the Olympic Games.
The Achilles Track and Field Society organized the first ever-indoor meet in Vancouver in 1965. It was known as the Percy Williams Invitational Indoor Track Meet at the Agridome on the Pacific National Exhibition grounds.
51 years later Percy Williams’ memory will be rekindled once again at the Richmond Olympic Oval.
During the competition in 1965 on the 160-yard board track with an 8-lane 50-yard interior sprint surface, another Vancouver sprinter broke the Canadian record.
That of course was Harry Jerome, the Bronze medalist in 100m at the 1964 Olympic Games. Harry ran 5.3 seconds for 50-yard Canadian record that day over half a century ago.
Percy Williams himself attended that indoor meet and met with Harry Jerome. The 1928 Olympic Champion was known to be uncomfortable in public and some considered him to be reclusive.
This is remarkable because his profession as an insurance agent, is often chosen by those of a gregarious nature.
At that time, this brought together the two greatest sprinters of all time in Canadian history. No one would believe in 1965 when they first met, that tragically both would die 17 years later in 1982.
It is reported that Harry Jerome died of a brain aneurysm on December 7th at the age of 42 in the prime of his life while Percy Williams, suffering from multiple strokes, took his own life 8 days earlier on November 29th.
Both will be remembered during the 2016 track and field season on The Road to Rio.
The Percy Williams Indoor Games provides opportunity for athletes of all ages from 10 yrs. to 70+ years on the 5 lanes of the 200m Pulastic track.
These competitions are an important step towards the 2016 Rio Olympic Games set for this August and for all young athletes with the dream of wearing the Maple Leaf sometime in the future.
Entry information available at www.harryjerome.com and Trackie.reg
Do not miss this as anyone and everyone involved in the sport of track and field should watch the dramatic story of Percy Williams online.
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