| DEBBIE BRILL |
| 1976 No Olympic story is complete without mentioning the woman who revolutionized high jump, Debbie Brill. At 12 years old she had already jumped 1.32 metres and at 14, 1.63 metres. This wasn’t extraordinary in itself but it showed how fast Brill was improving. Brill was the first North American woman to break the 6 foot barrier. She made the 1972 Olympic team and placed eighth in Munich. Shortly after her Olympic debut, she decided to stop training and travel. Two years later, she was ready for a comeback. She was motivated and wanted to train. Before the year was over she was ranked 6th in the world. By 1975 her personal best was 1.89 metres and she was now 4th in the world. Brill’s training was going very well and just before the 1976 Olympics, her coach said he was confident Brill could jump 1.95 which could be enough to win. To everyone amazement and bewilderment, Brill did not clear the 1.75m standard in the qualifying round, a height she had been doing easily since she was 16 years old. "She’s jumping with twenty-three million Canadians on her back" said an unnamed Canadian coach. Everyone thought that would be the end of Debbie Brill but she came back in full force; training, competing and winning. In 1977 she was named outstanding athlete of the year. |
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| The Legends of Gold Dinner will be "THE" Sports Celebrity Dinner of 2001. Held in Edmonton's Shaw Conference Centre during the 8th IAAF World Championships in Athletics (Edmonton 2001), the Legends of Gold Dinner will bring together, for the first time ever in public, anywhere in the world, the greatest track & field athletes of our time. DEBBIE BRILL WILL BE A GUEST... |
| The following are those Legends that have ACCEPTED our invitation to attend: Donovan Bailey (CAN) Sergei Bubka (UKR) Kip Keino (KEN) Al Oerter (USA) Filbert Bayi (TAN) Sebastian Coe (GBR) Bruce Jenner (USA) Donald Quarrie (JAM) Joan Benoit (USA) Eamonn Coghlan (IRL) Diane Jones Konihowski (CAN) Frank Shorter (USA) Valery Borzov (UKR) Harrison Dillard (USA) Mark McKoy (CAN) Michael Smith (CAN) Ralph Boston (USA) Herb Elliott (AUS) Edwin Moses (USA) Peter Snell (NZ) Debbie Brill (CAN) Dick Fosbury (USA) Parry O'Brien (USA) Wyomia Tyus (USA |
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FROM THE MAPLE RIDGE HALL OF FAME:.. Debbie Brill A world class high jumper for twenty years, Debbie revolutionized the sport with her reverse jumping style known as the "Brill Bend." She was the first North American woman to jump 6'0" (1970), and just months after giving birth to her son, cleared 1.99m to set a world indoor record (1982). Debbie was named "B.C. Athlete of the Decade" in 1980, was inducted into the Canadian Amateur Sports Hall of Fame in 1982, and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1983. She currently holds the world high jump record (1.89m) for women aged 35-39 and was just named the B.C. Master Athlete of the Year for 1997/98. Statistics: Birthdate: March 10, 1953 Birthplace: Mission, B.C. Past Residence: Maple Ridge, B.C. Residence: Burnaby, B.C. |
| Statistics: Birthdate: March 10, 1953 Birthplace: Mission, B.C. Past Residence: Maple Ridge, B.C. Residence: Burnaby, B.C . |
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| *******UPDATE NOVEMBER 2002 ********** READ THE LANGLEY TIMES ARTICLE FROM THIS WEEK ABOUT DEBBIE BRILL |