Grenadian jumper tops Canada's rankings

                       

Patricia Sylvester

by Michael Bascombe

TORONTO, ON, March 7, 2012 - Patricia Sylvester is hopping and jumping around Canada but the possibility of the Grenadian jumper qualifying for the London Olympic Games is slipping away slowly.

Sylvester, a former athlete of MacDonald College, is among the leading long and triple jumper in Canada. She is topping the Athletics Indoor Ontario Rankings in the Long Jump with 6.29 metres and 13.54m in the Triple Jump.

These marks also put her as the leading indoor triple jumper in Canada and second-ranked in the long jump. Sylvester holds Grenada’s national indoor triple jump record of 13.60m set five years ago in Gainesville, Florida.

However, the former University of Georgia standout has been grounded in Toronto for the past year and a half and unable to leave the Canadian borders. She is awaiting her “Landed” (Permanent Residency) and the delay in the process is affecting her preparations to compete effectively.

“It’s frustrating at times to think about the lack of competition but I am hopeful that something will go my way,” she said. "Hopefully someone there (Canada Immigration) understands my situation and intervenes so I could get some additional competition."

Sylvester has been limited to a few competitions in Canada and she has expressed growing concerns that she may not be able to make the qualifying mark for the London Olympic Games this summer.

The former NCAA champion is a member of the York University-based Project Athletics Track and Field Programme (PATFP) and trains daily including two sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.