Perdita Felicien (born August 29, 1980) is a Canadian retired hurdler. Felicien is the 2003 World champion in the 100 metres hurdles and 2004 World indoor champion in the 60 metres hurdles. She also won silver medals at the 2007 World Championships, the 2010 World Indoor Championships, and twice at the Pan American Games. Her best time for the 100 metres hurdles of 12.46 secs from 2004 still stands as the Canadian record.
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Early life
Born in Oshawa, Ontario, Felicien carries her mother's maiden name, whose origins are in the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia. Her mother named her "Perdita" after she heard the name on the TV game show, The Price is Right.
Felicien moved to Pickering, Ontario, where, as a student, she began competing in track and field events at her school. She was motivated to join the school's track and field team after receiving an Award of Excellence in the Canada Fitness Award Program in grade 3. At first, she competed in the 100 m dash, inspired by Donovan Bailey and Bruny Surin of Canada, later adding the 200 m dash and long jump. Felicien dedicated herself to hurdling at Pine Ridge Secondary School and won the Ontario high-school hurdling championship in 1998. That year she added the first of two consecutive Canadian junior championships. Her performance at a scholastic meet in Ohio brought offers of athletic scholarships from a number of U.S. universities, from which she chose the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she enrolled in the study of kinesiology.
Career
Coached by Gary Winckler, in her first year competing at the university level, Felicien earned All-American honors and in the 100 m hurdles set the record for the fastest time by a freshman in NCAA history for the event. The following year she was ranked No. 1 in the 100 m hurdles by the NCAA for the entire outdoor season, and was the first Illinois athlete ever to win a national championship during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Her performance earned her the first of three consecutive University of Illinois Female Athlete of the Year awards, and she was voted the U.S. Track Coaches Association National Female Outdoor Athlete of the Year.
An undefeated Felicien won her second consecutive 100 m hurdles national title in 2003. She became the first University of Illinois female athlete to be named the Big Ten Conference "Athlete of the Year", and also earned NCAA Female Track & Field Athlete of the Year honors. Felicien blossomed into a major force on the international hurdling scene, topping off her season by winning the women's 100 m Hurdles Final at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris, France. With that win, Felicien became Canada's first ever female world gold medallist and the first female in Illinois track & field history to win a gold medal in an individual event at the World Championships. She was named Canada's female athlete of the year – the first track athlete to capture that honor in 25 years.
A much-anticipated showdown with hurdling great Gail Devers took place in March 2004. Felicien set a new record in defeating the three-time hurdles world champion in the 60 m hurdle final at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Budapest, Hungary. She chalked up six straight wins leading up to the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, where she was expected to win gold in the 100 m hurdles on August 24, especially after Devers pulled out with an injury. Unexpectedly, in the event final, Felicien failed to clear the first hurdle and fell into the adjacent lane, knocking down the Russian competitor, Irina Shevchenko, and taking her out of the race and a chance at an Olympic medal, much to the obvious dismay of Shevchenko.
Felicien returned to the track and had some success, winning medals at the world championships alongside her teammate Priscilla Lopes-Schliep. In 2007, she won a silver medal at the world championships in the 100 metre hurdles.
Felicien did not compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China due to a foot injury. In August 2008, she was a guest commentator for CBC Television's 2008 Olympics coverage of hurdles.
Charity
Felicien is a supporter of Count Me In, the largest youth-run organization in Canada. She spoke at the 2013 Count Me In Conference in Toronto.
She is also an active ambassador for Right To Play.
Track & field accomplishments
2011
Harry Jerome International Track Classic Winner the 100 metre hurdles in 12:79 secs.
Canadian National Champion (10th Title)
2010
World Indoor Silver Medalist
60 m hurdles 7.86
Drake Relays Hall of Fame Inductee
Continental Cup Bronze Medalist
2009
Canadian National Champion
World Championship Finalist
2008
Injured
2007
2007 IAAF World Championships Silver Medalist 100 m hurdles - 12.49
Pan Am Games Silver Medalist
Canadian Track and Field Athlete of the Year
2007 Ontario Female Athlete of the Year
2005
Canadian National Champion
World Championship Semi-Finalist
2004
World Indoor Champion in the 60 m hurdles
Olympic Finalist