2005

2005

The 2005 event was a historic undertaking as eight athletes from the People’s Republic of China took part in the 22nd annual meet on a chilly, late-spring evening at Swangard Stadium. The Pacific World Cup, presented by Paystone.com, was a meet within a meet as athletes from China and Canada competed in six designated events that were part of the 21-event meet card. Each athlete scored points based on their results within the respective events, with Canada prevailing with 34.5 points to China’s 19.5. Organizers hoped the format would spark further cooperation and competition between the two nations in track and field, and in other sports as the countries prepare to play host to the Olympic Games – China in 2008 and Canada in 2010. Canadian hurdler Priscilla Lopes set a meet record of 12.98 seconds in winning the women’s 100-metre hurdles while China’s Gao Shuying also rewrote the meet mark in winning the women’s pole vault with a leap of 4.41 metres. Gao would go on to finish fifth with a season-best 4.50 metres at the 2005 world championships in Helsinki. Steeplechaser Alex Genest also came away with a record as his 8:37.83 effort in finishing fourth in the 3,000-metre steeplechase was a Canadian junior record, erasing the former mark of 8:40.98 set by New Westminster’s Jeff Schiebler in 1992. The men’s 110-metre hurdles also proved a meet highlight as Canada’s Karl Jennings outfinished China’s Liu Lilu to win in 13.81 seconds to Liu’s 13.83.