Felicien 'Working My Butt Off' For Olympics

Source:  www.thestar.com - Randy Starkman, Sports Reporter

(June 27, 2008) Perdita Felicien is convinced her best race is ahead of her – she just doesn't know if she'll get a chance to deliver it in Beijing.

In an exclusive interview yesterday with the Star, her first since a foot injury in February jeopardized her chances of racing at the 2008 Summer Olympics, the Pickering hurdler said her odds of being able to compete in China are 50-50.

The former world champion, who battled back from a disastrous fall at the 2004 Athens Games to win a silver medal at last year's world championships, had to spend four weeks on crutches to keep her weight off her injured left foot. Originally diagnosed as a mid-foot sprain, it turned out there was ligament damage and a small fracture.

She's resumed training in Toronto, but is unable to hurdle yet and got an injury exemption from next week's Olympic trials in Windsor.

The 27-year-old refuses to give up.

"Why can't I get back? Why can't I make it happen?" said Felicien. "Why can't I at least try so that when I'm old and grey I can tell my grandkids I fought for this dream."

Felicien was in good spirits yesterday, talking about her comeback over lunch at a downtown restaurant. Normally very accessible, she chose to remain mum until now on her injury so she could focus her energy on her recovery.

She said she doesn't feel a desperate need to compete in Beijing because of what happened in Athens.

"Everybody looks at everything through the mirror of Athens," said Felicien. "I don't look at it that way. I don't win medals that way, by looking in the past. I'm looking forward. I'm working my butt off to be there (in Beijing).

"But if for some reason I'm not, you're going to get people that say, `That's too bad. Poor Perdita. Poor Perdita.' No, it's not poor Perdita, because I absolutely feel blessed to do what I do and to do it for a living. And I still do feel like my best race is ahead of me. I haven't run the race of my life that's going to seal off my career. And that's why I wake up every morning, that's what keeps me going."

Felicien injured her foot when she landed awkwardly in practice. When it didn't heal over time, she went in search of the best medical help, seeing four specialists in all.

"It's like the fellowship of the foot," she joked.

It turned out there was more damage that first suspected to the part of her foot that maintains the arch. Felicien said the only time she cried throughout the whole process was when she learned she'd be on crutches for an extended period. She felt she could let her emotions go because she was with Wilbour Kelsick, her long-time chiropractor and trusted confidante.

"He said, `P, this is your journey, this is what you do, this is why we do this, this part of the test of learning how to endure, learning how to make it through that,'" said Felicien. "My mom didn't raise a quitter, she didn't raise someone who's going to be crying and feel sorry for herself. She raised someone who's going to rally."

Felicien undergoes an MRI every two weeks to check on the foot, which is healing ahead of schedule. It will be her decision, in consultation with the doctors, on when she begins hurdling.

Felicien's long-time coach, Gary Winckler, said the difficult thing will be getting her rhythm back and whether she can train full tilt once she starts hurdling.

"I really can't say for sure," he said of her prospects. "I'd say that probably the odds are against her just because of time. But you never close the door or any situation like this."

Under the terms of her injury exemption, Felicien would have to run a time of 13.11 seconds or faster in a 100-metre hurdle race by the end of July, no problem under normal circumstances.

But both Felicien and her coach agree it's not worth putting her future at risk.

"Beijing was never like, `This has to be my swansong,'" said Felicien. "This is not going to be my last Olympics. I always planned to be in London (2012) and a few years beyond if my body allows me to."