ATHLETICS CANADA SELECTS INITIAL TEAM MEMBERS FOR 2022 WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Athletics Canada is pleased to reveal the early selection of eight athletes to Team Canada for the 2022 World Athletics Championship in Eugene, Oregon.

Olympic silver medalist Mohammed Ahmed, Olympic bronze medalist Evan Dunfee, and six marathoners will represent the country in the competition’s long-distance events.

“We have a strong distance contingent and I think it shows a massive development in our National Team program,” said Team Canada Head Coach Glenroy Gilbert.

“In the past, we’ve been speed-power dominant, and now you’re seeing a spreading out across event groups. The marathon in particular is deep – in the past we were lucky to send one or two marathoners to Worlds.”

The rest of Team Canada will be selected and revealed later this month. The qualifying period for all events excluding the Marathon and 35k Race Walk extends until June 26, because their selection process will be in part contingent on results from Team Canada’s official selection trials: the Bell Canadian Track and Field Championship, in Langley, B.C. It is to note that athletes who qualify for the 10,000m between now and June 26 can also still be added onto the final roster. More information on the selection criteria can be found here.

Coach Gilbert said he expects the eventual full Team Canada roster to be a mixture of world medalists and first-time National Team athletes.

“It’s certainly going to be a variety of veterans and newcomers to Team Canada, and I think you’ll see that across all event groups.”

Canadian marathon record holder Cameron Levins is one of the early additions to the world team. He said training is going well, and that he is aiming to run a personal best in Eugene, at the very least. He looks forward to competing alongside five other Canadian marathoners.

“It was a positive experience having a full squad (three men and three women) at the Olympic marathon in Tokyo and I’m looking forward to competing with teammates again this year,” he said.

“The depth of marathoning has improved globally and I think Canadian athletes are rising to the challenge to match that trend.”

ATHLETES SELECTED TO TEAM CANADA FOR THE 2022 WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIP, AS OF JUNE 3 2022

The final athlete declaration deadline for all events is June 26, and the declaration form can be found here.