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By Dan Plouffe
Jason Dunkerley is the star attraction out of the Ottawa-area athletes headed to Mexico for this month’s Parapan American Games in Guadalajara.
The three-time Paralympic track-and-field medalist who’s come back strong from an Achilles injury that kept him on the sidelines for part of the summer is Ottawa’s surest bet for a medal at the Parapan Am Games.
Also competing at the Nov. 12-20 event will be Ottawa’s Jacqueline Rennebohm (athletics), Keven Smith-Wothylake (boccia), Tony Walby (judo), Meagan Michie (swimming), Barry Butler (table tennis), Jamey Jewells (wheelchair basketball), and Whitney Bogart, Amy Kneebone and Jillian McSween (all goalball), plus there are tons of coaches and support staff from the nation’s capital.
Dunkerley’s fellow Ottawa Lion, Noella Klawitter, is another strong medal contender, although many of the other top track-and-field athletes are not attending the Parapan Ams because the competition comes so late in the year leading up to the 2012 Paralympics.
“It will be a young team for sure,” Dunkerley says, noting Athletics Canada is looking at the event as a development opportunity. “For (new guide runner) Josh (Karanja) and I, we’re a new team and it’ll be our first championship, so it makes sense for us to be there.”
Dunkerley gains speedy leader
Karanja recently returned to Ottawa after competing for the Eastern Michigan University Eagles in cross-country running and track-and-field, and eagerly jumped at the opportunity to travel the globe and help Dunkerley push towards being the best in the world.
“We’re pretty much the same stride and our arm-swing is pretty similar, so it wasn’t too hard to adjust, really,” highlights Karanja, a Nepean High School grad. “We haven’t raced much though and that’s probably where going to Pan Ams will help us big time.”
After previously working infrequently with a guide from southern Ontario, Dunkerley deemed it essential to find a regular guide runner locally.
“It’s absolutely key,” says Dunkerley, who competes in the T11 class for athletes with visual impairments and isn’t able to do any work on the track without a guide. “Josh is also considerably faster, so he’s really able to work me hard and help me get the best out of my running.”
The 34-year-old has changed his focus from running the 800 metres and 1,500 m to the 1,500 and the 5,000 since he believes there’s a lot of room for him to grow in the longer events. Ian Clark, who became Dunkerley’s coach near the start of 2011, believes his distance-focused training is starting to pay off.
“Frankly, he’s never been this aerobically fit ever,” states Clark, noting however that it’s inevitable for an athlete in their mid-30s to lose a bit of their foot-speed. “We’ll just try to max out with the speed endurance, and with tapering going into the big races, we’ll hope for the best.”
Although he’d certainly like to defend his 1,500 m Parapan Am title and is eager to see how things go in the 5k, Dunkerley’s primary focus remains squarely on next summer’s Paralympic Games in London.
In order to have more time for training, Dunkerley has dropped down to part-time work hours with his organization that promotes active living for people with disabilities, which means the countdown is on.
“There’s a lot of talk about it,” smiles Dunkerley, noting a recent site visit to London made him truly feel how quickly it’s approaching. “Life is really starting to take shape towards the Paralympics. It’s on my mind a lot – every day for sure.