Runner on the rebound

Page R5

Her father always told her she was the best. Yet something inside her wouldn't let Angela Chalmers really believe it until crossing the finish line at the '92 Olympics, with a bronze medal in the 3,000-metre race,.

Too bad her dad wasn't there. He was no longer living, but would have been proud of her.

With an unprecedented performance at the 1990 Commonwealth Games - where she became the first woman to capture the 1,500-metre and 3,000-metre races in the same games - and with her Olympic bronze medal, you might think it had been one smooth ride to success.

But not so. The half-Sioux (from her mother's side) has rebounded from a broken marriage and various chapters of injury or illness to become - and to become again - a world class performer.

Born in Brandon, she grew up on the Shilo, Manitoba army base as one of nine children. Now 30, Chalmers resides and trains in Victoria, B.C. with her coach and partner, physiotherapist Wynn Gmitroski.

"Psychologically, she's one of the best athletes I've ever seen," says Gmitroski. "Maybe her biggest strength is that she's determined to keep on trucking despite setbacks."

Living with her coach has also provided more stability in her life, he believes.

"We have a level of trust and confidence in each other," says Gmitroski. "At home we talk about track so very little that now we have to schedule it in."

Neither did any talking as Chalmers controlled a strong 3,000 - metre field on a rain-drenched track in Montreal in late June. In control, she sprints away from her nearest rival over the final half-lap to win in eight minutes, 58 seconds.

Given the conditions, it's a good time, but much faster times are ahead as Chalmers sets out to successfully defend her Commonwealth Games titles in that race and the 1,500 metres.

And clearly she may. In early season Chalmers ran a world-leading 5,000-metre time of 15:34 minutes, then an 800-mertre in a near personal best of 2:30 minutes, despite having to stop nearly dead in her tracks as two distracted teenagers walked across the track in front of her.

Four years ago, rebounding from anemia (low iron), Chalmers celebrated February 1990 with her wins in the 1,500 and 3,000 at the Commonwealth Games in Auckland, N.Z.

Then her life took a down turn. While studying dietetics at North Arizona University, she had met Bob Espinoza. They got married, but by 1990 they'd broken up. Chalmer's health also took a downward spiral as injuries, mononucleosis and anemia affected her running in the summers of '90 and '91.

By 1992 she had returned to form and captured some Olympic glory in Barcelona, with a bronze medal in the 3,000. While in the Olympic Village she picked up an infection, which affected her in the 1,500-metre race.

She was eliminated in the semi-finals, and that sickness carried over into 1993. Forced to rush herself into shape, Chalmers did, and emerged from the World Championships in Stuttgart with a satisfying fifth place in the 1,500.

Healthy again, she's looking forward to defending her two Commonwealth Games titles in Victoria next month.

A point in her favor appears to be her state of relaxation.

"I feel a little more relaxed. I used to be a little more uptight and anxious about results," she admits. "I think I'm seeing things more clearly. Maybe it's just age and wisdom," she says with a smile. "But the biggest thing is to persevere. It's just a part of life. It's not unique."

Chalmers, who prefers to be called an Aboriginal (and not Native) Sioux, believes she has a certain responsibility.

"I get excited about some of my personal journeys and what I've learned. I really want to take that information and share it with the younger generation," she said.

She has spoken to groups of Aboriginal children from Manitoba and British Columbia, but she says it has been "a quiet sort of thing. I certainly don't want to be put on a pedestal."

One piece of advice she has for all children is not to take your strengths for ranted.

"I think I relax pretty well," says Chalmers, as an example. "I have that ability, but it's something I've had to work at. I did when I went to Stuttgart, when I went to Barcelona, and when I went to Auckland."

For her, a key to staying relaxed in site of a major championship is to enjoy her surroundings while remaining low-key in the build-up to the impending race of two.

"I keep a low profile, I try to get to know the girls I'm rooming with, and I try to avoid people I find negative."

Chalmers, though, wasn't always as relaxed. Take her first Olympics, in 1988 in Seoul where she ran a fast 3,000-metre time of 8 minutes 48 seconds in the heats. In the final she finished 14th in a dismal time of 9:05.

"Great athletes have to ability to analyse situations, to figure out what's wrong and improve it, learn from it, and grow from there," said coach Gmitroski, referring to his favorite athlete and other successful internationalists.

"I'm really motivated by other athletes who have had tougher times than me," says Chalmers. "I learned the hard way, I guess. But ultimately it's your responsibility to learn from your past."