Perdita Felicien facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Perdita Felicien

Personal information
Nationality	Canadian
Born	(1980-08-29) 29 August 1980 (age 44) Oshawa, Ontario
Height	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight	140 pounds (64 kg)
Sport
Sport	100 m hurdles
Turned pro	2003
Retired	October 24, 2013
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100 m hurdles: 12.46 NR, Eugene, 2004
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Canada World Championships Gold 2003 Paris 100 m hurdles Silver 2007 Osaka 100 m hurdles World Indoor Championships Gold 2004 Budapest 60 m hurdles Silver 2010 Doha 60 m hurdles Continental Cup. Bronze 2010 Split 100 m hurdles Pan American Games Silver 2003 Santo Domingo 100 m hurdles Silver 2007 Rio de Janeiro 100 m hurdles
Updated on July 2012.

Perdita Felicien (born August 29, 1980) is a retired Canadian hurdler. She was a top athlete in the 100 metres hurdles and 60 metres hurdles. Perdita became the World Champion in the 100 metres hurdles in 2003. She also won the World Indoor Champion title in the 60 metres hurdles in 2004.

Perdita Felicien earned silver medals at the 2007 World Championships. She also won silver at the 2010 World Indoor Championships. She earned two silver medals at the Pan American Games. Her fastest time in the 100 metres hurdles, 12.46 seconds from 2004, is still the Canadian record.

Early Life and Hurdles Training

Perdita Felicien was born in Oshawa, Ontario. Her mother's family came from the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. Perdita's mother chose her unique name after hearing it on the TV game show, The Price is Right.

Starting Track and Field

Perdita moved to Pickering, Ontario, where she started competing in track and field events at school. She was inspired to join the team after getting an Award of Excellence in the Canada Fitness Award Program in third grade. At first, she ran the 100-metre dash, inspired by Canadian sprinters Donovan Bailey and Bruny Surin. Later, she also competed in the 200-metre dash and long jump.

High School Success

Perdita focused on hurdling at Pine Ridge Secondary School. She won the Ontario high-school hurdling championship in 1998. That same year, she won her first of two Canadian junior championships. Her strong performance at a school meet in Ohio led to many offers for athletic scholarships from U.S. universities. She chose the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she studied kinesiology.

Perdita Felicien's Athletics Career

Perdita Felicien was coached by Gary Winckler. In her first year at university, she earned "All-American" honors. She set a record for the fastest time by a first-year student in NCAA history for the 100 metres hurdles.

Becoming a National Champion

The next year, she was ranked number one in the 100 metres hurdles by the NCAA for the entire outdoor season. She was the first athlete from Illinois to win a national championship in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Her achievements earned her the first of three "University of Illinois Female Athlete of the Year" awards. She was also voted the "U.S. Track Coaches Association National Female Outdoor Athlete of the Year."

World Championship Wins

Perdita Felicien won her second 100 metres hurdles national title in 2003 without losing a single race. She became the first female athlete from the University of Illinois to be named the Big Ten Conference "Athlete of the Year." She also earned "NCAA Female Track & Field Athlete of the Year" honors.

Perdita became a major competitor in international hurdling. She finished her season by winning the 100 metres hurdles final at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris, France. This win made her Canada's first female world gold medalist. She was also the first female in Illinois track & field history to win a gold medal in an individual event at the World Championships. She was named Canada's female athlete of the year.

Olympic Challenges

In March 2004, Perdita Felicien competed against the famous hurdler Gail Devers. Felicien set a new record by beating Devers in the 60 metres hurdles final at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Budapest, Hungary. She won six races in a row before the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. She was expected to win gold in the 100 metres hurdles on August 24, especially after Devers got injured.

However, in the final race, Perdita unexpectedly tripped on the first hurdle. She fell into the lane next to her, knocking down the Russian competitor, Irina Shevchenko. This took both of them out of the race and ended their chance at an Olympic medal.

Later Career and Retirement

Perdita Felicien returned to the track and had more success. She won medals at world championships alongside her teammate Priscilla Lopes-Schliep. In 2007, she won a silver medal at the world championships in the 100 metres hurdles.

She did not compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China because of a foot injury. In August 2008, she was a guest commentator for CBC Television's Olympics coverage of hurdles.

In 2011, Felicien moved to the University of Calgary in Alberta to train. She worked with former national team coach Les Gramantik and her old coach, Gary Winckler. She also trained with Jessica Zelinka, who was ranked as one of the best heptathletes in the world. In June 2012, Felicien did not qualify for the Canadian Olympic team for the 2012 London Olympics. She had finished third in the 2012 Canadian Olympic trials, but she had a false start and was disqualified.

Perdita Felicien retired from competing in 2013. She went back to school to study journalism. She worked as a writer and reporter with CHCH News in Hamilton, Ontario. She was part of the broadcasting team for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games coverage. In 2018, Felicien joined the CBC TV network to broadcast the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. She later covered the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Since 2020, Perdita Felicien has been the host of All-Round Champion, a TV series. This show is produced by Marblemedia for TV Ontario and BYU TV.

Charity Work

Perdita Felicien supports Count Me In. This is the largest youth-run organization in Canada. She spoke at the 2013 Count Me In Conference in Toronto. She is also an active ambassador for Right To Play, an organization that uses play to educate and empower children.

Track & Field Highlights

• 2011: Won the Harry Jerome International Track Classic (100m hurdles). Became Canadian National Champion for the 10th time.
• 2010: World Indoor Silver Medalist (60m hurdles). Inducted into the Drake Relays Hall of Fame. Won Continental Cup Bronze Medalist.
• 2009: Canadian National Champion. World Championship Finalist.
• 2007: 2007 IAAF World Championships Silver Medalist (100m hurdles). Pan Am Games Silver Medalist. Named Canadian Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Named Ontario Female Athlete of the Year.
• 2005: Canadian National Champion. World Championship Semi-Finalist.
• 2004: World Indoor Champion (60m hurdles). Olympic Finalist. Canadian National Champion. Received City of Pickering Civic Award. Named Canadian Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
• 2003: IAAF World Championships World Champion (100m hurdles). Big Ten Champion (60m and 100m hurdles). Drake Relays Most Outstanding Athlete. Named Canadian Female Athlete of the Year. Named Canadian Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Canadian National Champion. Pan Am Games Silver Medalist. University of Illinois Athlete of the Year. Big Ten Conference Athlete of the Year.
• 2002: NCAA Champion (100m hurdles). University of Illinois Female Athlete of the Year. Drake Relays Most Outstanding Athlete. NCAA Record holder (60m hurdles). NCAA Champion (60m hurdles). Big Ten Champion (60m hurdles). All-American (60m hurdles). Canadian National Champion.
• 2001: All-American (100m hurdles, 60m hurdles). USTCA National Female Athlete of the Year. Big Ten Female Outdoor Athlete of the Year. University of Illinois Female Athlete of the Year. Big Ten Indoor Freshman of the Year. World Track and Field Championship Semifinalist. Francophone Games Champion.
• 2000: Olympian. Big Ten Outdoor Freshman of the Year. All-American (100m hurdles). Canadian National Champion.
• 1999: Canadian Junior Champion (100m hurdles).
• 1998: Canadian Junior Champion (100m hurdles). OFSAA 100m hurdles Record Holder. OFSAA Champion (100m hurdles, 200m). OFSAA Silver (100m).
• 1997: OFSAA Silver Medalist (100m).

See also

In Spanish: Perdita Felicien para niños