Perdita’s Story
Perdita Felicien is a two time Olympian and two time World Champion in the 100m hurdles. After retiring from competition in 2013 after more than a decade, she now works as a freelance sports broadcaster, public speaker, television host and author.
Perdita is host of the new television series, All Round Champion, which is set to air in Canada and the United States in March 2020.
She has covered multiple international sports competitions for the CBC, including the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, 2016 Summer Olympics, 2015 Pan American Games, and multiple World Championships and World Cup events. She was the host of CBC Sports’ first-ever weekly podcast, Off Guard.
One of Canada’s most decorated track and field athletes, she has won two World Championship silver medals, and was named Canada’s Athlete of the Year, and was given the keys to her hometown of Pickering, Ontario.
An inductee into the University of Illinois Athletics and Athletics Canada’s Halls of Fame, Perdita captured 10 national titles during her racing career, and still holds both the indoor and outdoor national records.
A recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee medal for her charitable work, Perdita is passionate about youth mentorship, social responsibility and supporting causes that work to end violence against women.
Her first book, My Mother’s Daughter, will be published by Doubleday Canada in April 2020. My Mother’s Daughter details Perdita’s experience as a child witness to domestic abuse, being the first Canadian born child of an immigrant mother and the highs and lows of her family’s early life as well as her illustrious hurdling career.