The tiny community of Black Creek suddenly looks to be represented among the more than 45 Island athletes expected to be on the Canadian team for the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
That's because Cameron Levins ran a riveting 13: 18.47 on Saturday at the Mount San Antonio College Track Meet in Walnut, California - the second-fastest 5,000 metres run in the world to date this year behind Aussie Collis Birmingham's 13: 15.57 and the second-fastest Canadian time ever - to meet the "A" qualifying standard for the London Games.
Levins, who began with the Comox Valley Cougars Track Club in Grade 7 and was the B.C. high school cross-country champion running for G.P Vanier Secondary of Courtenay, was off Jeff Schiebler's Canadian record of 13: 13.96 set in 1998 but will almost certainly be stalking it in the future.
Levins was recruited out of G.P. Vanier and now runs for the University of Southern Utah, where he was NCAA indoor 3,000metre bronze medallist this season. He was gold medallist in the 5,000 metres at the 2009 Canada Summer Games in Prince Edward Island. On his bio sheet for those Games, Levins listed the goal of "representing Canada on the world stage."
It looks like the 23-year-old will get there, pending the formality of a top four finish in the 5,000 metres at the Canadian Olympic trials for London June 27-30 in Calgary.
