TORONTO - Canadian hurdler Perdita Felicien is racing against the clock in her bid to compete at the Beijing Olympics.
But while she faces a tough task in rebounding from an ankle injury in time to race in China in August, the odds are not insurmountable said Martin Goulet, chief high performance officer of Athletics Canada.
"It's a very difficult road for her now, but not impossible," Goulet said in a phone interview from Montreal.
"She hasn't given up, she has resumed training, not at the very high level yet, but she is an athlete who reacts very quickly to training, so the possibilities are there."
Felicien, who said she wished to wait for a clearer picture of her health status before speaking with the media, injured her ankle in training in February, which kept her off the track for much of the indoor season and all of the outdoor season thus far.
The former world indoor and outdoor sprint hurdles champion is one of a number of high profile Canadian athletes battling back from injuries heading into Beijing, including gymnast Kyle Shewfelt and diver Alexandre Despatie.
Goulet said Felicien, 27, hasn't decided whether she'll compete at the Canadian Olympic trials July 4-6 in Windsor, Ont. But if she doesn't, the hurdler could earn a medical exemption that would still allow her to compete in Beijing.
"There is provision in our selection criteria for specific appeals for an athlete like Perdita that has the A+ (qualifying) standard from last year," Goulet said. "We will be of course very open to an appeal on that basis, and and would look at it very seriously, based on the fact she was a medallist last year (silver at the world championships in Osaka, Japan)."
Felicien has already missed a significant chunk of the competitive outdoor schedule. Goulet said she would also need to prove "competitive readiness," something that would be determined between himself, Athletics Canada head coach Les Gramantik, and Felicien's Illinois-based coach Gary Winckler.
"Perdita is not the kind of athlete who wants to show up at an Olympic Games without being able to perform," Goulet said.
Shewfelt, an Olympic gold medallist, broke both legs last August in a freak training accident. He opted not to compete at last week's Canadian gymnastics championships because he didn't feel he was ready.
Despatie broke his right foot in training in April, and also didn't compete in the Olympic trials. But Diving Canada conditionally nominated the three-time world champion for the Beijing Olympic team.