Michael Johnson and Istvan Gyulai (© IAAF)
Hundreds of youngsters from all around the world signalled their approval at the launching of the ‘This is Athletics’ international clinic here in Sherbrooke this morning, as they welcomed US stars Michael Johnson and Edwin Moses to the University of Sherbrooke campus.
Johnson and Moses are just two of the star athletes who will participate in This is Athletics over the next three days, in the lead-up to the 3rd IAAF World Youth Championships.
This is Athletics is unique in its genre and represents the biggest international event of its kind ever staged by any sports governing body. The programme is open to all of the athletes participating in the World Youth Championships and combines practical coaching and the opportunity to meet and learn from some of the biggest names in the recent history of athletics with a cultural itinerary that will enable these youngsters from around the world to get to know each other and learn something of the history and attractions of this beautiful region of Canada.
Speaking at the opening ceremony were the Mayor of Sherbrooke, Co-Chairman of the Sherbrooke 2003 Organising Committee, Jean Perrault; and the President of Athletics Canada, President of the Organising Committee, Jean-Guy Ouellette; IAAF Vice-President Amadeo Francis and IAAF General Secretary, Istvan Gyulai.
Mayor Perrault warmly welcomed all of the participants to Sherbrooke and expressed his city’s commitment to the event and to ensuring that all of the youngsters who have made the trip to Sherbrooke will have a memorable time in Canada.
Jean-Guy Ouellette stressed in his speech the very unique nature of this event which, as he underlined: “is the first time that the IAAF organise such an event, the first time that Athletics Canada organises such an event, indeed the first time something of this nature and scope is organised in Canada.” The World Youth Championships is the biggest sporting event to be organised in Quebec since the Olympic Games in Montreal and it is wonderful that the athletes are able to join in to This is Athletics before the Championships. It is a great chance for them to relax, make friends and learn something about Canada and its people.”
Taking the floor, IAAF General Secretary Istvan Gyulai presented a short film about athletics and the qualities that are essential in this sport: determination, perseverance, courage, strength and speed all blended with a good dose of fun!
IAAF Vice-President, Amadeo Francis, himself a two-time Olympian at the 400m hurdles expressed his satisfaction at the fact that This is Athletics was taking place and that it was supported by such great athletes. “This is a fascinating new initiative and I give a lot of credit to the imaginative people here in Sherbrooke who have pushed this project forward. It is an example that I hope will be followed widely in the future, as it provides some wonderful opportunities for these young people to learn a huge amount about athletics and have great fun doing it too!.”
Istvan Gyulai then presented – not that presentation was necessary given the ovation from the youngsters and the crowds queuing to have their photographs taken next to Moses and Johnson and to ask for an autograph – the two American guest stars.
Both Johnson and Moses said how much they would have loved it if something like This is Athletics had been in existence when they were youngsters.
“I would just have loved to do something like this when I was a kid,” said Ed Moses. “In those days, there was just nothing like it –and I probably would not have been selected to participate anyway. I was always sports crazy, and I used to watch Sports Spectacular on the television every Saturday afternoon from the age of ten – I used to love to watch John Carlos and Calvin Smith competing, for example, they had such great technique. But the idea of being able to come on a trip like this and compete internationally, well that would have been a dream.
“I guess that my first international competition really was the Olympics, when I was 20 years old.
"I remember someone asking my mother what I should do in a race and she said "Get out fast and run like hell!" Moses joked.
The articulate and highly educated American went on to set four world records in the 400m hurdles and won two Olympic gold and two World Championships gold medals in his incredible career. Moses looked back on his development for the benefit of the youth.
"When I was 17 years old I think my best time for 400m flat was about 50.8 - no hurdles. I wasn't even thinking about running the hurdles," he rememberd. "In fact my first race was on March 26th, 1976 and in that race I ran 50.1 seconds and four months later I was the Olympic champion and world record holder with 47.63."
"I think track and field is a tremendous sport. It's very different from most other sports in the world and I think track and field athletes are some of the most elite athletes in the world. When you participate and train you pay the price every day much differently from other sports that are a little more leisurely."
For Michael Johnson, the thought of something like This is Athletics would never have entered his head when he was young: “In those days, when I started to do a lot of sport, I never really saw anything on television. Where I lived, we were outside all of the time and doing the sports rather than watching them.
“I couldn’t have named a ‘hero’ in those days as I barely even knew the names of the athletes. When I was older I also used to love to watch Calvin and Evelyn Ashford – they were both such great performers and had fantastic technique.
“I first competed internationally at a meet in Germany when I was 19 and then I managed to get into some meets in Europe, like Zurich (where I cam 4th) and then it started for me.
“I had done plenty of other sports, but it is athletics that really became my love. It is a fantastic sport and has enabled me to get where I am today. I really owe a lot to the sport.”
Johnson and Moses came to Sherbrooke to help give something back to the sport that made them household names around the world, by encouraging the youngsters here to participate in This is Athletics and learn more about athletics and themselves and to learn to enjoy all the very unique skills and qualities that athletics can develop as they, hopefully, also progress along the path to future stardom. Joing them in Sherbrooke over the next three days will be Jackie Joyner Kersee, Bruny Surin and Glenroy Gilbert.