In July, five members of the Bisons track and field team will take to Germany for the FISU World University Games. Over the next six weeks, Bison Sports will cover their journey and memories and moments that matter to them. This week's feature is on sprinter Jordan Soufi.

This past March, Jordan Soufi wrapped up a storied career with the Bisons track and field team. The Winnipeg native graduates as the most accomplished sprinter in school history, with a list of accolades a mile long.
 
Last February, Soufi became the first Bison to ever run under 6.7 seconds in the 60 metre, bringing home Canada West gold along the way. That led to national gold a month later, another first for the program. Teammate Tyrell Davis also broke the speed code during the race, helping Manitoba go 1-2 in the 60 at nationals for the first time ever.
 
Then, four months ago, Soufi competed in the fastest 60 metre race in U SPORTS history, running 6.64 for the second time en route to national silver. His time, accomplished on two separate occasions, still stands as the fastest in school history.
 
Soufi also helped Manitoba's 4x200 metre relay team break the program record, and he was an enormous contributor for a men's roster that has won four straight Canada West titles, a program record.
 
Long after his days are done, people will still be talking about the records Soufi shattered, and the legacy that he left for the next generation of Manitoba sprinters. It's something that means a lot to him.
 
"I think it's a very honourable position to be in. Back in the day, Manitoba wasn't really well known for their sprinters. And now we have the emergence of a bunch of fast sprinters from high school and university. It's trending in a positive direction," he said.
 
"It's definitely an upward trend in terms of putting us on the map and not being underestimated. I'm grateful to have contributed to that, and hopefully I can build on that legacy with other athletes, having a mentor for them to look up to, or to motivate or help with advice."


 
'I'm not just a 60 and 100 metre runner'
Rest assured though, Soufi is far from done racing.
 
Over the last year, he's brushed shoulders with the best sprinters Canada has to offer, learning and growing every step of the way, while expanding his depth as an athlete.
 
Notably, last June the powerful sprinter qualified for the semi-finals in both the 100 and 200 metre at Canadian Olympic Trials.
 
Soufi ran the fastest time in the 100 metre qualifier, and 10.46 in the semi, finishing 13th overall in Canada. In the semis of the 200, he hit a new personal best in a time of 21.19 seconds. That result placed him in the top ten in the country.
 
In the 100 metre semis, Soufi lined up in lane two, beside Olympic gold medalist Andre De Grasse. His heat also featured Olympic gold medalists Aaron Brown and Brendon Rodney.
 
In the 200 semis, Soufi's competition included Olympic medalists Jerome Blake and Bolade Ajomale.
 
His performance in the latter helped him earn a spot with Team Canada in the 200 at the FISU Summer World University Games, taking placing in the Rhine-Ruhr region of Germany from July 21-27.
 
"Just thinking about what happened at trials last year, it was an eye-opening experience, because usually I would consider myself primarily a 60 metre or 100 metre runner. Before I hit that 21.1, my previous personal best in the 200 was 21.7," Soufi reflected.
 
"Being able to break that mould and stigma, I learned I'm not just a 60 and 100 metre runner. Seeing how it was able to make me qualify for FISU was a surprising experience. Looking back on it now, me and my coach have been discussing competing in the 200 and doing more longer work, just based on qualifying for FISU."
 
Part of that work included a trip to Florida, just one week after U SPORTS in March, to train with Canada's gold medal-winning Olympic relay team. It was "a wonderful opportunity" provided by Athletics Canada, and another chance to learn and grow.
 
"There's a lot more nuance to relays than I thought. I was one of the new guys there," said Soufi.
 
"I didn't know much about relays. Going off of that experience I learned a lot more about the team aspect of track. It was my fastest season opener in the 100. I ran 10.47 slightly wind dated."
 
Now an individual athlete, Soufi has more "agency" in how he wants to approach the upcoming season. He has big goals, including at FISU.
 
"Usually most people see the longer sprint events like 200 and 400 as more difficult. They're longer but they're also faster. There's more pain. Ultimately what I want to achieve for FISU is to run under 21 seconds in the 200, which is something I've been looking forward to," he beamed.
 
"It's a barrier not many people in Manitoba have hit. Trusting the workouts I've been doing and staying disciplined, if I were to hit that time, which I will, it will be sensational."
 
That's just one of the notable goals Soufi has in mind for the coming season. If history is any indicator, he's going to achieve all of them.
 
"I'm a tenth of a second shy of the 100 metre record. The provincial record is 10.3 and as of right now my personal best is 10.43 from two years ago. It's a little bit overdue. I will break that provincial record this year, if conditions are ideal and everything is going according to plan," he noted.
 
"Looking beyond, I want to be the first athlete in Manitoba history to run under 6.6 seconds in the 60."
 
These times might be insane to most, but to Soufi, it's simply the next step for a gifted athlete who's been a prodigious talent for quite some time.
 
As an underclassman in high school, he made the provincial final in the 100 and 200 metre "without really any sort of training program."
 
That parlayed to a breakthrough senior year, where he ran the 60 in 6.92 seconds at the Bison Classic. Soufi's time earned him a roster spot with Canada at the 2019 Junior Pan Am Games in Costa Rica.
 
"Afterwards, it's just been going up and up. That's why I continue in the sport, is having those progressions, whether that be small or large. It gives you a reason to go for something," he exclaimed.
 
"You have to think about it in the long term. How can I get better each year or each meet? It's not just about the outcome, but the opportunities as well, like FISU. I haven't competed at a world championship since Junior Pan Ams. That's a way to positively reinforce my passion for track, and to improve on my strengths and weaknesses as well."