Perdita Felicien (CAN) celebrates winning the 60m Hurdles World title (© Getty Images)
Since adding the World Indoor 60m Hurdles title to the outdoor sprint hurdles gold she won in Paris last summer the accolades have been pouring in for Canada’s Perdita Felicien. Suddenly the country recognises an Olympic gold medal favourite at a time when athletes of this calibre are extremely rare but the delightful 22 year old shows no sign of succumbing to the pressure of a nation’s expectations.
Coping with the pressure
“There is going to be a lot of pressure but I put myself in this bubble,”she explains. “Outside the bubble I know there are expectations and pressure. But within it this is the sport I love, I bring to the start line my confidence - confidence in my training and my abilities, and I think that is really going to take me through.”
“I don't mind pressure. I honestly don't shy away from it. I like those type of situations because they have always brought the best out of me and my approach to Athens is going to be like it’s the NCAA. I am going in there I am ready and I am trying to win.”
Her Budapest triumph was replayed on television hundreds of times and she admits this race was possibly even more satisfying than her 100m Hurdles victory simply because she handled the pressure of being a medal favourite so well. Her Paris gold had for all intents and purposes been an enormous shock but no fluke.
Translating her indoor PB form outdoors
A three week break followed her return to the University of Illinois during which she faced several exams missed during the indoor season. She only returned to hurdling the last week of March. Nevertheless, she is delighted with her pre-season preparation and wonders what the personal best 60m hurdles time of 7.75 seconds in Budapest will translate to outdoors.
“I never put limitations or make predictions on myself because I did that indoors. I said I wanted to run 7.85 and I ran 7.75 and so I don’t want to put a limit on myself,” she says with remarkable enthusiasm. “ I mean I am going to lower my personal best (12.53 seconds, recorded in winning the 2003 World Championships). My training is going great. I am a lot stronger, I don’t have to contend with an NCAA schedule and that is only going to work in my favour. So I will say that it’s going to take 12.40 or lower to win the gold in Athens. So, have it that way.”
The last comment is followed by a cheerful laugh and one gets the impression she is embarrassed by her show of confidence. In any case she anxiously waits for the outdoor season to begin. Her agent, Renaldo Nehemiah, who was a pretty good hurdler in his day prior to a successful NFL career, has been carefully mapping out her outdoor schedule. First up is the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa next month.
“I don’t even know my schedule but I am going to be in Rome, I am going to be in Ostrava and Oslo I believe. Again I don’t have my schedule in front of me,” she admits, “and I am not familiar with the meets because I haven’t been there. But I am going to run quite a few in Europe.”
Athens and not money is the focus
“It has been very thorough planning and I like it that way. Right now in my career I am not going for the big pay day. I am just trying to construct a schedule that is going to help me prepare for Athens as well as possible. If that means not racing for a week and half or just going to a smaller meet and not a bigger meet then that is what I am going to do.”
Felicien has the luxury of a Nike shoe contract which allows her the freedom to pick and choose meets without worrying about how to make ends meet. Furthermore, she is still a college student and her needs are by no means outrageous.
“I know athletes now who are trying to compete and have full time jobs,” Felicien declares. “There is no way I could be ready for the summer while holding down a full time job so its definitely given me peace of mind . I am comfortable with Nike because that was what I was competing in at college. For me it’s a great partnership: they want to be number one in what they do and I want to number one in what I do.”
“I will eventually get a car but Champagne is a small campus and I don’t really have a need for it. Plus all my friends have the pain of parking tickets. One of my best friends has racked up $300 worth of parking tickets! My bike is pretty efficient right now. But, I will get a car before Athens, definitely.”
A youthful naiveté and tremendous hunger for success
As she looks ahead to the summer and to the biggest prize an athlete can capture she reveals her youthful naiveté and at the same time her tremendous hunger for success.
“I never thought I would be in this situation. For me the dream of being Olympic champion has always been delayed. I have been thinking 2008 and later on in life,” she admits, “I have a lot of Olympics left in me. I definitely believe that. But I want to get it out of the way now and have that by my name now and not wait another four years. That would be an eternity especially because I know on my best day I am capable of being Olympic champion. There’s no doubt in my mind about that.”
“I have two World Championship titles now. But no matter how many World Championship titles I garner for the rest of my life they will never equal one Olympic championship gold medal. That’s just the way it is…. The plan is to go into Athens and I definitely believe I am a medal threat and pray that I am ready and its enough to get gold.”
