On Monday, July 18, Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) in conjunction with Athletics Canada, announced the 37 student-athletes and coaching staff who will represent Canada in track and field at the 26th Summer Universiade from August 12-23, 2011, in Shenzhen, China. Manitoba track and field head coach Claude Berube was named as Team Canada head coach for the 2011 international event.
For Berube, in his 15th season with Manitoba, this is the second time (2007) as head coach for Team Canada at a Summer Universiade and he was also a staff Universiade coach in 2005.
“We are excited to bring such a large team to the Universiade and seek to further improve on recent past team performances at this prestigious international event,” said Team Canada and University of Manitoba track and field head coach Claude Berube. “The level of Canadian athletes in Shenzhen will be very high as some will also compete afterwards at the world championships. I am also pleased with the strong representation on the women’s and men’s teams in both track and field events.”
Canada is coming off its second-best showing in history at the biennial event with eight medals in 2009 in Belgrade, Serbia. The performance trails only a 13-podium tally in 1983 in Edmonton, the only time the world university games have been held on Canadian soil. Since 1965, Canadians have captured 67 medals in athletics at the games. Swimming is the only sport that has more Universiade glory to Canada over the years with 95 podiums.
The Canadian squad is comprised of 19 female and 18 male athletes including 21 from universities competing in CIS, 13 schools that compete in the NCAA or NAIA, as well as three from Canadian colleges.
Eleven team members have previous Universiade experience; four represented Canada at the 2009 IAAF world championships in athletics in Berlin and seven wore the Maple Leaf at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India.
In addition to Berube, the Team Canada support staff for Shenzhen includes team manager Janet Neufeld of New Westminster, B.C., assistant coaches Heather Hennigar of Halifax, David Hunt of Toronto, Joel Skinner of Sarnia, Ont., and Mingpu Wu of Winnipeg, as well as physiotherapist Blaise Dubois of Quebec City.
The Universiade track and field competition is scheduled for August 16-21.
2011 Summer Universiade website: http://www.sz2011.org/Universiade
Team Canada website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/universiade/summer
Claude Berube coaching bio
Berube has been the head coach of the Manitoba Bisons since 1997. An alumni of the University of Manitoba, Berube is also the head coach of the Bison Cross Country team.
Certification: NCCP Level 4
Major T&F Competition:
• 1994-1997 - Various Ekiden Relay Teams
• 1998 - World X-C Head Coach, Marakkech, Morocco
• 1999 - Pan Am Games, Staff Coach
• 2005 - Summer Universiade (World University Games), Staff Coach
• 2007 - Summer Universiade (World University Games), Head Coach
• 2008 - NACAC (North American Central American Caribbean) Under 23 Championship Head Coach
• 2009 - IAAF World Youth T&F Championship, Endurance Coach
• 2010 - NACAC (North American Central American Caribbean) Under 23 Championship Associate Head Coach’
• 2011 - Summer Universiade (World University Games), Head Coach
Coaching Awards:
• 1995 & 1997 Athletics Manitoba - Coach of the Year
• 2003-04 Bison Sports Coach of the Year
• 2004-05 Bison Sports Coach of the Year
• 2004-05 CIS Women’s Track and Field Coach of the Year (Sue Wise Award)
• 2007-08 Canada West Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year
• 2008-09 Canada West Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year
• 2008-09 Bison Sports Coach of the Year
Other:
• 1999 National Event Development Chair - Men’s 800m
