The eighth edition of the Harry Jerome Indoor Games goes Saturday at the Richmond Olympic Oval.
This major legacy of the 2010 Olympic Games has provided an opportunity for young athletes to find their potential through the sport of track and field.
The Telus-sponsored event is also a chance for athletes of all ages to compete indoors in a world-class facility.
Some have literally grown up from young children to teenagers at the Olympic Oval and consider the Jerome Indoor Games to be a cradle to a podium opportunity.
A good example is Paul Fisher, now a Grade 12 student at Tupper Secondary in Vancouver. He has been a member of the Thunderbirds Track and Field Club throughout his running career.
He competed for the first time at the Jerome Indoor Games when he was 13 — setting the meet record in the 600 metres (1:46.90). Two years later, he was named the outstanding athlete in the U16 division. In 2016, he won the 600m (1:26.80) and followed it up with a new U18 record (1:25.94) in the same event last February.
Last spring, Fisher took his talents outdoors, winning the 400 metre hurdles at the B.C. high school championships and a bronze later on at the U18 Nationals. He also represented Canada at the Commonwealth Youth Championships in, Nassau, Bahamas, where he set his personal best of 54.35 in the 400m hurdles.
There will be many more stories like this as the Games return Feb. 3 to foster the next generation for the sport of track and field.
The competition gets underway at 10 a.m. and an action-packed day concludes with the awards ceremony at 5:15 p.m.
Age divisions include JD (9-13), Midget (14-15), Youth (16-17) and Open. Athletes will be competing in 300, 600, 1,000 and 1,500 running events, along with the race walk, and 4x200 relays. Off the track, there are the shot put and high jump events.
