OTTAWA – Athletics Canada would like to recognize five great athletes who represented Canada with class, dignity and honour over their illustrious careers. In the last few months Perdita Felicien, Anson Henry, Kerri-Ann Mitchell, Megan Muscat and Sean Young all made the decision to retire from competition.
Perdita Felicien of Pickering, Ont.,announced her retirement in late 2013 surrounded by friends and family in Toronto, Ont. Felicien retired as the Canadian record holder in both the 100-metre hurdles and 60-metre hurdles, a 10-time Canadian Champion (2000, 2002-2007, 2009-2011), a two-time Olympian (2000, 2004), a two-time World Champion (2003, 2004-indoor), a two-time World Championship silver medalist (2007, 2010-indoor), a two-time Pan American Games silver medalist (2003, 2007) and a three-time NCAA Champion. She qualified and competed in eight World Championships over a ten year span (2001-2011). She is now a videographer for Hamilton's CHCH. Click here for her full retirement announcement.
Anson Henry of Pickering, Ont., officially announced his retirement from competition at the end of the 2013 season. "Though I may not have achieved the goals that I aspired to accomplish during my track career, I have become more grateful for the opportunities that I was granted because of my life on the track. It was a grind at times trying to make ends meet and put myself in a position to run 9-seconds, but I am glad to see that athletes these days are getting a little more support than what was available in my day, but even still, more support is needed. I am excited to see how the current young sprinters develop, and I am hoping that as I proceed through life now as a sports journalist, I can play a role in getting these athletes the recognition that they deserve."
Anson retires a two-time Olympian, in 2004 and 2008 as a member of the 4×100-metres relay team. At the 2008 Olympic Games the relay team with Anson finished sixth. He competed in three IAAF World Championships as part of the relay team (2003, 2005, 2007) and was a semi-finalist in the 100-metres in 2007. Anson has two Panamerican Games medals including silver in the 4×100-metres in 2007 and a bronze in the 100-metres in 2003. He also won bronze at the 2006 Commonwealth Games as a member of the 4×100-metres relay team.
Sprinter Kerri-Ann Mitchell of Pickering, Ont., represented Canada at the 2012 OlympicGames in the 100-metres. At the 2011 Panamerican Games she was a semi-finalist in the 100-metres and placed fifth in the 4×100-metres relay. Kerri-Ann on her retirement, "Your dream is your vision. It starts and ends with you." Since retiring Kerri-Ann has become CEO of Kemvisions; "a high performance supplemental elite youth program (6 to 16 year olds) which provides training and education from a holistic approach."
Paralympian Megan Muscat of St-Thomas, Ont., retires from competition as the F37 cerebral palsy classification long jump Canadian record holder; a record she set in 2012. Megan also competed in the 100-metres, 200-metres and 400-metres. She represented Canada on numerous national teams including the Commonwealth Games (2010), Paralympic Games (2008), Parapanamerican Games (2003, 2007), International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletics World Championships (2006), and the Cerebral Palsy World Championships (2005) where she was the World Champion over 400-metres. "My competitive career was highlighted by winning the 400-metres at the Cerebral Palsy World Championships and being a part of Team Canada at the 2008 Paralympic Games." Megan notes: "I plan to continue coaching at the grassroots level as I love the attention and focus kids give to learning new skills and exercises. I also work in the emergency dispatch field."
Ottawa, Ont.'s Sean Young retired from competition, most notably, as long-time guide runner to Jon Dunkerley, a T11 classification visually impaired athlete. The pair competed on six national teams in events ranging between the 100 and 800-metres. Their career was highlighted by two appearances at the Paralympic Games (2008 & 2012), one IPC Athletics World Championships (2011), the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) Panamerican Games (2009), and the Parapanamerican Games (2007).