The medal count continued to climb for the Ottawa Lions on Saturday as four more athletes reached the podium on Day 4 of the 2025 Canadian Track and Field Championships at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility.
In one of the day’s most emotional moments, Maëliss Trapeau delivered a golden homecoming for the host club, capturing the open women’s 800 metres title in a thrilling finish under the stadium lights. Her time of 2:01.79 edged out Royal City’s Jazz Shukla (2:01.95), securing both the first senior national title of her career and the first senior gold medal of the meet for the Ottawa Lions.
“It’s so nice. I’m from the Lions, so it’s like being home,” the 25-year-old told Ottawa Sports Pages. “A lot of people are cheering me on. It’s really nice to hear my name.”
Trapeau’s victory also carries historical significance: she becomes only the second Lion ever to win the women’s 800m national title, following in the footsteps of three-time Olympian Melissa Bishop-Nriagu, who claimed gold on the same track in 2017.
In U20 competition, Zachary Jeggo added to his growing medal collection by winning gold in the 400 metre hurdles, stopping the clock at 52.39. The victory completed a successful title defense for Jeggo, who won U18 gold in the same event last year. Earlier in the championships, he also earned bronze in the U20 400 metres with a seasonal best of 46.87—the second-fastest time of his career.
Daniel Cova also doubled his medal haul, adding U20 1500 metre bronze to his 5000 metre silver from Thursday. Cova made a bold move mid-race, breaking from the pack and pushing the pace from 700 to 1400 metres, before being caught in the final stretch.
Rounding out Saturday’s medal performances was Alexandra Telford, who earned her first individual national medalwith a bronze in the U20 women’s 400 metre hurdles. After collecting seven national medals in relay events, Telford’s solo breakthrough came in impressive fashion as she ran a seasonal best of 59.86 to claim third place.
Elsewhere on the day, Maria Okwechime produced her best long jump performance of the season, leaping a wind-aided 6.11 metres to finish fourth in the competition..