The conditions couldn’t have been much worse, but Adrienne Power’s night couldn’t have gone better.
The Halifax track star wowed the home crowd at the Aileen Meagher International Track Classic last night at Huskies Stadium, winning the 100-metre dash and blowing away the field in her specialty, the 200, later in the night.
Power, only a few days removed from being crowned the national champion in the 200, battled cool air, light rain and a 1.5 metres-per-second headwind to win in 23.56 seconds.
“I put that together and killed it,” said Power afterward, of the 200. “That’s amazing, easily like a 22 high time, with the heat and wind in the right direction and no rain.
“I ran really, really well.”
The 27-year-old ran so well, she finished 0.65 of a second ahead of Grenada’s Trish Bartholomew, who came in second, and 1.16 seconds ahead of Liberia’s Kia Davis, who placed third. All three went to the Beijing Olympics last year.
The crowd of about 400 responded to Power’s dominant performance in the 200, roaring its approval as she pulled away from the pack and closed in on the finish line.
“I’ve run at the Aileen Meagher so many years, but I don’t think I’ve ever had that sort of reception, ever,” she said. “I totally appreciate it. It just makes me want to run in front of the hometown crowd as much as possible.”
The events of the past week have helped Power shake off a tough couple of months. She was hit by a car at a crosswalk in May and struggled with injuries and motivation.
Now, she has plenty of momentum as she heads to Europe to prepare for August’s world championships.
“Thank goodness, things are a back on a roll,” she said. “I went to nationals and put it together, came here and put it together again. I know it’s going to be a good season.”
