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 is famous for being a world champion in track and field. Perdita won the 100 metres hurdles at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics. She also became the 60 metres hurdles indoor world champion in 2004.

Perdita Felicien earned silver medals at the 2007 World Championships and the 2010 World Indoor Championships. She also won 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 Beginnings

Perdita Felicien was born in Oshawa, Ontario. Her mother gave her the name "Perdita" after hearing it on a TV show. Perdita's mother is from Saint Lucia, an island in the Caribbean.

Perdita moved to Pickering, Ontario, where she started doing track and field in school. She was inspired to join the team after getting an award for fitness in third grade. At first, she ran the 100m and 200m races and did the long jump. She was inspired by Canadian sprinters Donovan Bailey and Bruny Surin.

Later, Perdita focused on hurdling at Pine Ridge Secondary School. She won the high school hurdling championship in Ontario in 1998. That same year, she won the first of two Canadian junior championships. Her great performance at a school meet in Ohio led to many offers for sports scholarships. She chose to study kinesiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

College and World Champion Success

University Achievements

At the University of Illinois, Perdita was coached by Gary Winckler. In her first year, she became an All-American. She set a new record for the fastest time by a freshman in the 100m hurdles in NCAA history. The next year, she was ranked number one in the 100m hurdles. She was the first athlete from Illinois to win a national championship both indoors and outdoors. Because of her success, she won the University of Illinois Female Athlete of the Year award three times in a row.

In 2003, Perdita won her second 100m hurdles national title without losing a single race. She was named the "Athlete of the Year" for the Big Ten Conference. She also earned the NCAA Female Track & Field Athlete of the Year award.

Becoming a World Champion

Perdita became a major star in hurdling around the world. She won the women's 100m hurdles final at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris, France. This made her Canada's first female world gold medalist in track and field. She was also the first female athlete from Illinois to win a gold medal at the World Championships. Perdita was named Canada's female athlete of the year, the first track athlete to get this honor in 25 years.

In March 2004, Perdita had an exciting race against the famous hurdler Gail Devers. Perdita set a new record and beat the three-time world champion in the 60m hurdles final. This happened at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Olympic Challenge and Comeback

Perdita won six races in a row before the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Many people expected her to win a gold medal in the 100m hurdles on August 24. However, in the final race, she tripped on the first hurdle and fell. She accidentally knocked down another runner, Irina Shevchenko, taking her out of the race. This was a very disappointing moment for both athletes.

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

Perdita did not compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. This was because of a foot injury. In August 2008, she worked as a guest commentator for CBC Television during the Olympics.

Later Career and Retirement

In 2011, Perdita 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, a top heptathlete. In June 2012, Perdita tried to qualify for the Canadian Olympic team for the 2012 London Olympics. She finished third in the trials but was disqualified for a false start.

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

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

Making a Difference

Perdita Felicien supports Count Me In. This is the biggest youth-run organization in Canada. She spoke at their conference in Toronto in 2013.

She is also an active ambassador for Right To Play. This organization uses sport and play to educate and empower children facing challenges.

Key Track & Field Achievements

• 2011
  • Canadian National Champion (10th Title)
• 2010
  • World Indoor Silver Medalist (60m hurdles)
  • Continental Cup Bronze Medalist
• 2007
  • World Championships Silver Medalist (100m hurdles)
  • Pan Am Games Silver Medalist
• 2004
  • World Indoor Champion (60m hurdles)
  • Canadian National Champion
• 2003
  • IAAF World Championships World Champion (100m hurdles)
  • Pan Am Games Silver Medalist
  • Canadian Female Athlete of the Year
• 2002
  • NCAA Champion (100m hurdles)
  • NCAA Champion (60m hurdles)
• 2001
  • Francophone Games Champion
• 2000
  • Olympian
  • Canadian National Champion
• 1998
  • Canadian Junior Champion (100mh)
  • OFSAA Champion (100mh)

See also

• In Spanish: Perdita Felicien para niños