Canada's fastest man is coming to Burnaby to complete in the Harry Jerome International Track Classic.
The 36th annual Harry Jerome Track Meet begins Thursday with some of Canada's best track and field athletes – including a couple of Olympic bronze medallists -- competing in the event.
Last year, fans saw Andre DeGrasse compete.
This year Aaron Brown, the man who's taken over the title of Canada's fastest man, will headline this year's event.
Brown was part of the bronze medal winning 4x100 metre men's relay team at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and enjoys the title of being our country's fastest sprinter.
"It's something that I never get tired hearing," says Brown about the title. "It's something I've been working towards my entire career as a sprinter. That's something you always want to hold running the 100 metres, you know that's what comes with it if you win. To hold that right now is something I cherish and don't want to let go."
Brown, a Toronto native, has won two Diamond League races in the 200 metres this season, including clocking a season-best time of 20.06 at Stockholm this spring. Brown has a 100-metre personal-best of 9.96.
The Diamond league is an annual series of elite track and field competitions held world-wide.
"Track is on the rise in Canada and headed toward Tokyo 2020 I want to showcase our talent and what we are going to be putting on the field, a meet like this very instrumental as a team," Brown told CTV News Vancouver.
Doug Clement, who has been organizing the meet since its inception, is hoping to create a huge stage for the premier event.
"This is honouring Harry Jerome and traditionally we have tried to put together great sprint fields. Aaron Brown is the fastest man in Canada at this particular point – although Andre DeGrase may disagree with that but that's the reality," says Clement.
Another premier athlete competing Thursday is Phylicia George, who specializes in the 100 metre hurdles and has represented Canada in the last two Summer Olympic Games.
She surprised everyone when she became a dual season Olympian, winning a bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
"Now, I have the situation where it's the Olympics every two years," George said. "I think sometimes we put ourselves in a little box I'm a track athlete or I'm only this and this is all I'm capable of and so now stepping outside that the sky's the limit there infinite possibilities in front of me so I'm excited about that."
George says most people only see track events on TV and should come out experience it live.
"When you really get an idea of how fast they are moving, people moving really fast, people jumping really high, throwing really far and I think it's special to see it in person." George told CTV News.
The Harry Jerome Track Classic starts Thursday at 6 p.m. at Swangard Stadium.
