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<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 17pt"><span style="font-size: 17pt">Toronto gets glimpse of world's fastest man</span></span></span>
March 06, 2009
Randy Starkman
Sports Reporter
<span style="font-weight: bold">The agent for Usain Bolt has confirmed the Jamaican sprinting superstar has signed to race at Varsity Stadium in Toronto on June 11.</span>
The Star first reported the negotiations to lure the Olympic champion here in January and it appears that promoter John Carson of Cambridge, Ont., has been successful in pulling off this major coup, although undoubtedly at a very high price. It's expected that Bolt's asking price is around $250,000.
Bolt entered the 2008 Beijing Olympics as the world's fastest man and lowered his world record in the 100-metres to 9.69 seconds on Aug. 16, despite raising his arms over the final steps of the race.
He then he become the first man since Carl Lewis to sweep in the 100m and 200m at the Olympics, breaking a 12-year-old record to click 19.30. Finally, Bolt ran the third leg of Jamaica's 4x100m relay team that won gold in Beijing.
Ricky Simms, who represents Bolt, confirmed that he's coming to Toronto in an email correspondence to Jamaican journalists and the news was carried in a release yesterday on the official website of track and field's governing body, IAAF.
Simms said the event is called "the Toronto Festival of Excellence."
"This is a new meeting and we are very happy to participate and give the many Jamaicans living in Canada the opportunity to see Usain compete," said Simms in his email.
The driving force behind the event is Carson, an energetic track enthusiast who runs the "Classic Mile" in Cambridge, Ont., where for the past five summers a new Mercedes Benz has been available to any runner who can break the four-minute barrier.
It's believed that meet organizers will try to attract such top Canadian athletes as Olympic bronze medallist hurdler Priscilla Lopes-Schliep of Whitby, shot putter Dylan Armstrong and 800-metre runner Gary Reed, both fourth-place finishers in Beijing.
U of T's facilities underwent an overhaul in recent years and has a new track and throwing facilities that meet International Amateur Athletic Federation standards. The Canadian championships are being held there for the first time in 40 years June 24-28.
March 06, 2009
Randy Starkman
Sports Reporter
<span style="font-weight: bold">The agent for Usain Bolt has confirmed the Jamaican sprinting superstar has signed to race at Varsity Stadium in Toronto on June 11.</span>
The Star first reported the negotiations to lure the Olympic champion here in January and it appears that promoter John Carson of Cambridge, Ont., has been successful in pulling off this major coup, although undoubtedly at a very high price. It's expected that Bolt's asking price is around $250,000.
Bolt entered the 2008 Beijing Olympics as the world's fastest man and lowered his world record in the 100-metres to 9.69 seconds on Aug. 16, despite raising his arms over the final steps of the race.
He then he become the first man since Carl Lewis to sweep in the 100m and 200m at the Olympics, breaking a 12-year-old record to click 19.30. Finally, Bolt ran the third leg of Jamaica's 4x100m relay team that won gold in Beijing.
Ricky Simms, who represents Bolt, confirmed that he's coming to Toronto in an email correspondence to Jamaican journalists and the news was carried in a release yesterday on the official website of track and field's governing body, IAAF.
Simms said the event is called "the Toronto Festival of Excellence."
"This is a new meeting and we are very happy to participate and give the many Jamaicans living in Canada the opportunity to see Usain compete," said Simms in his email.
The driving force behind the event is Carson, an energetic track enthusiast who runs the "Classic Mile" in Cambridge, Ont., where for the past five summers a new Mercedes Benz has been available to any runner who can break the four-minute barrier.
It's believed that meet organizers will try to attract such top Canadian athletes as Olympic bronze medallist hurdler Priscilla Lopes-Schliep of Whitby, shot putter Dylan Armstrong and 800-metre runner Gary Reed, both fourth-place finishers in Beijing.
U of T's facilities underwent an overhaul in recent years and has a new track and throwing facilities that meet International Amateur Athletic Federation standards. The Canadian championships are being held there for the first time in 40 years June 24-28.