Eric Gillis is a Canadian athlete. He was born and raised in the community of Antigonish

Antigonish, Nova Scotia

Antigonish is a Canadian town in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia. The town is home to St. Francis Xavier University and the oldest continuous highland games in North America.-History:...

, Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

. He currently resides in Guelph

Guelph

Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

.

Sporting career

He has had much national and international success during his athletics career. He represented Canada at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 10,000m. On October 16, 2011, Gillis qualified for the 2012 London Olympics with a 2:11:28 finish at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon

Toronto Waterfront Marathon

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is an annual marathon held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the last Sunday in September. Starting from 2011, the marathon will be held in October. The race day also includes a half marathon and 5 km race....

.

Career Highlights

• 2011: Vancouver Sun Run winner, time 29:05.
• 2008: Canadian 10,000m Championships, Gold
• 2008: Canadian Cross Country Championships, Silver
• 2008: Competing at the Summer Olympics 10,000m event
• 2007: Canadian Championships, Bronze
• 2007: Canadian 10,000m Championships, Gold
• 2005: Canadian Championships, Bronze

The 2008 Summer Olympics

Gillis went to the Beijing Summer Olympics as a member of Team Canada. He competed in the 10000 metres

10000 metres

The 10,000 metres or 10K is a common long distance running event. As "10,000 metres" it is a track event, and appears in athletics events such as the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics; as "10K" it is a roadrace or cross country running event...

 event on August 17, 2008, in the Beijing National Stadium

Beijing National Stadium

Beijing National Stadium, also known officially as the National Stadium, or colloquially as the Bird's Nest , is a stadium in Beijing, China. The stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.-History:...

. Though he was aiming to finish among the top 20, he ended up finished 33rd overall with a time of 29:08.10.