1996

1996

World 100-metre champion Donovan Bailey sped to victory with a wind-aided 9.97-second time in winning the 100 metres at the Jerome meet, held at Abbotsford’s Rotary Stadium. A few weeks later Bailey would go on the win the men’s 100 metres and contribute to a Canadian victory in the 4×100-metre relay at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Meantime, Australian sprinter Cathy Freeman prevailed in both the women’s 100 and 200 metres. Freeman, a double gold medallist at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, would go on to an emotional, home-country victory in the 400 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. In other events, American Suzy Hamilton fended off a late sprint from Charmaine Crooks to take the women’s 800 metres in meet record time while Graham Hood took the men’s 1,500 metres. Longtime Jerome meet supporter Mary Slaney outkicked pacesetter Paula Schnurr to win the women’s 1,500 metres.