Felicien owns the collegiate record in the 60m hurdles (Illinois sports info) |
1. Your most recent major competition was at the 2002 Canadian Outdoor Championships where you won the 100m hurdles in 12.77 seconds which was your fastest time of the year. How did your training go over the summer and fall so far heading into your senior year this season?
I took this summer off completely I was eager to run in some big meets but decided to rest up. I have a few nagging injuries that I've had since the Olympics and they needed special attention. This summer was the perfect opportunity for me to allow them to heal without having to aggravate them with high speed training and performance. It was a choice I made by myself, I had to think ahead and truly make the best decision for me. Next year is my last year and it's also a big year for track and field.
2. You opened up the 2002 season by winning the Big Ten Championships in the 60m hurdles and followed that up with a win at the NCAA Indoor National Championships in the event with a record time of 7.90 seconds. Outdoors, you overcame a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships in the 100m hurdles by winning the national championship in the event with a time of 12.91 seconds. How fast do you expect to run this season?
Expectations are high as they are every year, never before have I felt this strong and completely ready for the year ahead of me. It's only September and I honestly can't wait for May and June to roll around. If I stay injury free and healthy I know I am capable of running 12.60's before the season and the summer is over. It's about time I set a new personal best.
3. In 1999, you also took home the Canadian Junior National Championship in the 100m hurdles as well. How much are you looking forward to the World Championships this summer and the Olympic Games in 2004?
Next year is a big year for track athletes and their fans, a lot is going to be happening. I don't think I can hide my excitement when the talk of next year's worlds comes up. I am looking forward to that 100 meter hurdle final so much it's probably obsessive. But I have to be, it's not easy to live with yourself for two years knowing you missed the last final by just 3/100ths because you didn't dip! As for the Olympics I'm looking forward to being there again, but I'll take one major championship at a time.
4. The Big 10 is loaded with talented hurdlers including yourself. How much has this talented field helped you run faster year after year?
It has definitely helped me improve time wise, competition in the Big 10 amongst hurdlers is intense. Its because at every Big 10 meet you know you are lining up against the very best in the country. And because the field is so talented making mistakes can cost you the race.
5. Have you ever considered or given the 400m hurdles as an opportunity for yourself?
Actually my coach Gary Winckler and I have joked about that he knows how terrified I am about the open 400 meters so he uses that to scare me. Sometimes threatening to throw me into a 400 meter hurdle race at some meet, if I'm not pulling my weight in practice. He laughs but the thought of that is not too funny to me. I'll stick to sprint hurdling something I know for sure I'm good at.
Felicien looks to help the Illini to a Big Ten title (Illinois sports info) |
6. The Illini scored 23 points in the 100m hurdles alone at the Big 10 Championships last season, which helped them to a third place finish overall. How strong will your team be heading into the 2003 season?
We wanted so badly to win a conference title, and not doing so last year gives us some more incentive to try and do it this year. The girls have been training for a few weeks and I just started two days ago and I was amazed by their dedication. Its obvious that we are all working for something big.
7. You also play a key role in the 4x100m relay which finished 6th at the NCAA Championships last season. Is breaking 44 seconds this season a realistic goal for your team and how high do you think they can place?
If we can get our hand-offs to be smoother, improving on our team's personal best of 44.20 is almost a guarantee. It was great being at the NCAA meet and running something other than the hurdles. It's fun not being the only one with something at stake. Plus I like the relay I just have fun with it and my teammates are great. We are all returning next year and making the NCAA final a second time is a collective goal.
8. What do you enjoy the most when you are not on the track and at practice?
I am a junkie for a few things when I am not training or competing. They are playing freecell or tetris on my gameboy. Constant checking of my email and talking to friends back home online. Looking up track stats between classes when I can. And at night I can just lay on the couch for hours and just listen to music. Mostly reggae and R&B. (But Dr. Dre's "Chronic 2001" is one of my favorite cd's).
9. The Canadian national athletics association has cut a lot of the funding for their Olympic development programs over the past decade. What kind of steps do they need to take in order to make sure that Canada provides their athletes with enough funding and development?
I think after Sydney, Canadians realized our team had a few crowning moments but overall we could have done better. For results to be different in 2004 that means changes should have been made a couple years ago. But we won't truly know until after the Olympics are over and we evaluate the results. Government funding is very limited especially for an event like track and field that people only care about every fourth year. What it's going to take in Canada is corporate sponsorship, companies who want to see amateur athletes succeed. But its hard to get their attention, it will take success on the world stage by our best athletes to get them interested in lending their support.
10. What websites do you visit most often on your free time and do you think our sport gets enough coverage from that level of media?
I visit a lot of websites, such as
Google.com (I wouldn't survive without this link), Iaaf.org (keep up on the results) and I sometimes check up on the message board "sub-10". There are some very good discussions and insights posted.
Of course I don't think our sport gets enough coverage, I get excited on the days that track will be on ESPN televising the IAAF golden league meets. But by the time it airs I have long since seen the results and usually it's very late at night. But there are many publications and sites and boards just dedicated to track, no they may not be popular but if you're a true "track head" you can find them.
11. What kind of advice can you give anyone who wants to give the hurdles a try and how should they approach it?
The hurdles can be very intimidating; our first instinct when obstacles are in our way is to gingerly move around them. Certainly not leap over it at full speed, that's crazy! I'd tell anyone wanting to start to give it a try and the only way to get over a hurdle is with confidence and don't be scared! Doubt and hesitation are the biggest limiting factors and no good hurdler has those qualities. You may get some preliminary scraps and bruises but its all part of the initiation, scarred shins and knees are part of being a great hurdler.