Posts tagged: Canadian Championships

The Canadian Track and Field Championships presented by Bell got underway Thursday at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility, and the hometown Lions wasted little time making their mark with a flurry of personal bests and semifinal qualifications across the board.

Headlining the day was Jaime Tapa, who sprinted to a personal best of 10.81 seconds in the U20 men’s 100 metres, securing his spot in Friday’s semifinal. The time marks the 16th fastest in club history, continuing a strong season for the 18-year-old.

In the U20 women’s 100 metres, Paulina Procyk came heartbreakingly close to her lifetime best, clocking 12.28—just 0.01 seconds off her PB. While she narrowly missed advancing, Procyk will be back on the track Saturday for the 100m hurdles semifinals.

Also in the U20 100m heats, Amy Zhang and Kierra McGillivray each set personal bests of 12.73 and 12.87, respectively, gaining valuable national championship experience in their first appearances at the meet.

The momentum carried through the 400 metres, where Sophia McIntyre kicked off the day in style by lowering her PB to 58.67 seconds and advancing to Thursday’s U20 women’s semifinals. In the open women’s section, Cora McQuinn also punched her ticket to the semis with a personal best of 57.06.

On the men’s side, William Harris opened his summer season with a solid 50.27 in the open 400m, advancing to Friday’s semifinals.

Closing out the evening, Jacob Puvan delivered a statement performance in the U20 men’s 1500 metres. The 19-year-old chopped four seconds off his previous best, crossing the line in 4:07.43 to cap a successful first day for the Ottawa Lions.

The action continues Thursday culminating Sunday at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. For full schedule, tickets, and event info, visit athletics.ca.

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With more than 100 athletes set to compete across the U20, Open, and Para categories, the Ottawa Lions are primed for a strong showing this week as the Canadian Track and Field Championships return to the Terry Fox Athletic Facility.

The last time the nation’s best gathered in Ottawa for the championships in 2018, the host club racked up an impressive 22 medals—including a shot put title by current Lions Youth Director Tim Nedow and a sweep of the Open 4x400m relays. With the home crowd behind them once again, the Lions will look to build on that success.

U20 Contenders Poised for Podium Push
Leading the charge in the U20 category is Jorai Oppong-Nketiah, the reigning national champion in the women’s 100 metres. A year ago, the sprint sensation blazed to gold in 11.39 seconds after setting the Canadian U18 record in 11.38 during the semi-finals. This season, Oppong-Nketiah enters ranked fourth in the 100m and ninth in the 200m, where she won silver in 2023.

In the men’s sprints, all eyes will be on the quartet of Ange-Mathis Kramo, Ayoub Shangai, Zachary Jeggo, and William Sanders—fresh off their Canadian U20 Club Record in the 4x400m relay. All four will contest the individual 400m, with Jeggo leading the national rankings at 46.62. Shangai, a first-time national competitor, enters sixth at 47.39, with Kramo and Sanders also ranked inside the top 20.

Jeggo, a multi-talented threat, also headlines the 400m hurdles where he holds the top seed of 51.69 from his OFSAA title run. He’ll be joined by Kyle London, who is ambitiously taking on the 400m hurdles–decathlon double.

Middle-distance up-and-comer Safwan El Mansari enters the 800m ranked tenth nationally. The University of Ottawa student has had a breakout season, including a massive personal best of 1:51.51 set earlier this month at the CTFL Final—nearly three seconds faster than his 2024 best.

On the women’s side, first-year U18 athlete Ellie McGregor will also compete in the 800m after a breakthrough performance of 2:09.38 at the CTFL Final. The 15-year-old has accelerated her performances in 2025, moving to #4 on the club’s all-time list and establishing herself as a rising star in the middle distances.

In the distance events, Daniel Cova is aiming for a memorable send-off before heading to Iona University this fall. The Louis-Riel grad will double in the 5000m and 1500m, where he ranks fifth nationally among U20s with a personal best of 3:47.95.

Field event newcomers and veterans alike are also poised to shine. Fallo Douramodou, one of only 12 U20 men in Canada to clear two metres in the high jump this season, will look to leap onto the podium with a new lifetime best. Sadie Gilbert, the reigning indoor champion in the shot put, enters with a best of 12.98m and will be looking to improve upon last year’s fourth-place finish. In javelin, Mallea Mullin—the 2023 U16 national champ—enters the Championships ranked fourth with a PB of 42.60m.

Senior Stars Return for Glory
Two-time Olympian Lauren Gale headlines the senior entries, doubling in the 200m and 400m. Her season-best of 51.00 ranks her second nationally behind Olympic 400m hurdles champion Savannah Sutherland. A victory would mark Gale’s first senior national title, having previously won U20 gold in 2019.

In the women’s 800m, 2023 national finalist Sydney Smith will be joined by former University of Ottawa standout Maëliss Trapeau, who returns to the capital for her first competition in Canada since the 2020 U SPORTS Championships. A dual citizen of France and Canada, Trapeau has spent the past four summers competing overseas. She enters the Championships as a top medal contender, boasting the highest World Athletics ranking in the field (67th) and a personal best of 1:59.09.

On the men’s side, Stephen Evans looks to reach his third consecutive national final in the 800m. The 2023 bronze medalist enters with a season’s best of 1:48.96.

The women’s 400m hurdles could prove to be one of the most exciting events of the week for the Lions. Alexandra Telford and Rosemary Holmes—finalists at last year’s Olympic Trials—enter ranked fourth and fifth respectively and are coming off a dominant 1-2 finish at the CTFL Final where Holmes took top spot.

For the men, David Moulongou returns to action in the 400m hurdles after his Canadian national team debut at the World University Games, where he posted a PB of 52.24 and anchored the 4x400m to a sixth-place finish.

In the throws, Jessica Gyamfi—fresh off representing Canada at the World University Games—will look to crack the podium, ranking fourth in shot put and fifth in discus. On the men’s side, Connor Fraser, last year’s national silver medalist in discus, enters ranked third after a PB of 51.55m. Fraser will also contest the shot put where he enters ranked fifth, just behind teammate Liam Davis—last year’s U20 silver medalist.

The action begins Wednesday and continues through Sunday at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. For full schedule, tickets, and event info, visit athletics.ca.

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The opening day of the 2025 Canadian Indoor Championships at York University’s Toronto Track and Field Centre saw Ottawa Lions athletes burst out of the blocks with a pair of championship records and several podium finishes.

Eli Mordel kicked off his weekend in spectacular fashion, blazing to a time of 8.09 seconds in the prelims of the U18 men’s 60m hurdles. The performance not only secured him the top seed going into the final but also established a new championship record, eclipsing the previous mark of 8.15. Mordel would go on to finish third in the final later in the day with a time of 8.28 seconds, earning a spot on the podium in one of the most competitive events of the meet.

Not to be outdone, Maxime Cazabon continued his dominant indoor campaign by claiming gold in the U16 boys’ high jump. The 14-year-old cleared 1.90 metres to secure the victory and set a new championship record in the process. The jump adds to an already impressive season for Cazabon, who is quickly establishing himself as one of Canada’s top young jumpers.

In the U20 women’s pole vault, Balqis Chouikhi soared to a second-place finish, clearing 3.50 metres. The result marks Chouikhi’s first national medal at the U20 level and matches her her lifetime best set earlier this season.

Closing out the Lions’ medals on Day 1 was Liam Davis, who powered his way to a gold medal in the open men’s weight throw. Davis launched the implement 14.78 metres to claim top spot. This is Davis’ first national gold medal following U20 shot put silver last summer..

Competing in the open women’s triple jump, Ella-Grace Gilbert landed a best mark of 11.08 metres, good enough for a bronze medal. The 21-year-old has really raised the bar for herself this indoor season with each one of her competitions exceeding the 11 metre barrier.

The Canadian Indoor Championships continue through Sunday, with more Lions athletes set to hit the track and field in search of national glory.

For live results visit https://live.athletics.ca/meets/45665

To watch online, visit athleticscanada.tv (subscription required)

The final day of the 2024 Canadian Track and Field Championships brought an impressive eight medals to close out the five-day event. In total, the Lions athletes amassed 17 medals over the competition, showcasing their prowess on the national stage.

Improving upon their fourth-place finishes from a year ago, the dynamic hurdling duo of Zachary Jeggo and Quinn Coughlin captured two medals on Sunday. Jeggo secured his second medal of the championship with a second-place finish in the men’s U20 400-metre hurdles, clocking in at 54.69.

Quinn Coughlin claimed a bronze medal in the U20 women’s 400m hurdles, finishing in 1:01.14. Despite battling swirling winds, Coughlin’s time was the second fastest of her career.

In the 200-metre finals, Jorai Oppong-Nketiah earned her second medal of the championship with a windy 23.76 effort to take silver. The 100-metre champion narrowly missed out on the title to 400-metre victor Dianna Proctor of the Edmonton Royals.

After achieving a personal best in the qualifying round on Saturday night, Liam Davis returned on Sunday with yet another personal best in the U20 men’s shot put, heaving the 6-kilogram ball out to 15.23 metres on his fifth throw to move from sixth to first. However, the Split City Sonics’ Jake McEachern pushed Davis down to the silver medal on the final throw of the competition.

Following two gruelling days of competition, Kathryn Moreland walked away with the second-best score of her career and a silver medal in the U20 women’s heptathlon. The University of Ottawa student scored 4177 points, becoming the second Lion in three years to take silver in the event, following Audrey Goddard’s silver in 2022.

The U20 men’s 4×400-metre relay team of William Harris, Stephan Balson, Ange-Mathis Kramo, and Zachary Jeggo delivered a phenomenal performance, finishing second with a time of 3:17.26—the third-fastest U20 time in club history.

At the senior level, the women’s 4×400-metre relay team, composed of Marie-Eve Dahms, Rosemary Holmes, Sydney Smith, and Doyin Ogunremi, claimed their sixth consecutive title with a time of 3:51.26. Additionally, the 4×100-metre relay team of Sarah Ouangre, Audrey Gilmour, Cora McQuinn, and Vienna Courteau clinched victory with a time of 49.37.

For updated club performance rankings following the championship, please visit https://milesrowat.shinyapps.io/ottl_rankings/

A highlight of this year’s Championship was the senior women’s 400 meters, an event marked by unprecedented strength in Canada. This was evident in Saturday’s final, where Lauren Gale secured her second silver medal in three years, finishing with a time of 51.35 seconds.

“I think I went out pretty hard and didn’t fall asleep on the corner,” said Gale of her race plan execution. “Just at the end didn’t have enough to keep first.”

After a stress reaction in her foot was discovered at the 2022 World Championships that disrupted her training for the 2023 season, Gale said she was “just happy to be running healthy and have a good season,” following Saturday’s race.

While Lauren did not guarantee her spot in Paris, it is widely expected she will be named to the Olympic team when it is announced this week. However, she is not one to count her chickens before they are hatched. “I’m waiting for the e-mail confirmation that says ‘Lauren you’re going to Paris’.’”

David Adeleye, despite a shoulder injury just three weeks prior, added another national medal to his collection. The recent University of Toronto graduate took home silver in the 110 metre hurdles, finishing behind Royal City’s Craig Thorne with a time of 13.94 seconds. The two had a similar 1-2 finish at this year’s USports Championship. 

“The race was good from one to five (hurdles), and then the race went apart at five or six and it held me back a bit,” described Adeleye. “The time was decent given the circumstances of the race,  but I know I can go a lot faster this season.”

Zachary Jeggo made a significant leap from his seventh-place finish as a 16-year-old in 2023, earning bronze in the U20 men’s 400 meters with a time of 48.29 seconds.

Stephan Balson, who posted the second-fastest time in Friday’s semi-final, did not advance as a non-Canadian. Balson hails from St. Kitts and Nevis, which he represented at last year’s Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago.

Stephen Evans, a medalist last year in the 800 metres, missed the podium Saturday night, finishing fifth with a time of 1:48.75. Positioned near the back of the pack at the halfway mark, Evans was unable to close the gap with the leaders over the final 400 metres..

Nicolas Belan also fell short of reaching the podium, placing sixth in the U20 men’s 1500 metres on Saturday afternoon. Belan, one of three Canadian men to have achieved the World U20 Championship standard, finished in a time of 3 minutes and 58.16 seconds.

The 400-metre hurdle semifinals saw significant success for the Ottawa Lions, with five athletes qualifying for Sunday’s finals. Quinn Coughlin (U20) and Rosemary Holmes (Senior) will compete in the women’s finals, while Saj Alhaddad and David Moulongou will represent the men in the senior final. Zachary Jeggo also qualified for his second consecutive U20 men’s final before winning bronze in the 400 metres.

Kevin Robertson, who won silver in Thursday’s steeplechase final, secured his spot in a second final of the weekend with a personal best of 3:43.84 in the 1500 metres, claiming the last spot in Sunday’s final.

Finally, Liam Davis secured his spot in the U20 shot put final with a personal best throw of 15.15 metres. Davis, who was a medalist at the recent OFSAA Championships, was forced to qualify through the preliminary rounds as he had not yet competed with the 6-kilogram implement.

“Wow” was all anyone could say when Joari Oppong-Nketiah crossed the finish line of the U20 women’s 100-metre semi-finals Friday night at Montreal’s Centre Sportif Claude Robillard. When the scoreboard flashed her winning time of 11.38 seconds, a collective gasp was let out as the 16-year-old did what no Canadian teenage woman had ever done at the national championships – run under 11.50 seconds.

The Louis-Riel student’s performance is the second fastest ever by a Canadian teenager, behind the great Angela Bailey, whose national U20 record of 11.21 seconds has stood since 1981.

By the time the final rolled around two hours later, the sun had faded under the night sky, and the temperatures had dropped a few degrees. Oppong-Nketiah didn’t let that stop her from bringing the heat, as she followed up her championship record with another sterling time of 11.39 seconds, despite running into a slight headwind.

“When I’m under pressure, I tend to run better and faster and harder,” said Oppong-Nketiah about her championship performance. “I worked on my starts. I think my start had a huge impact on the outcome of my race.”

For Bianca Borgella, she booked her ticket to Paris for this summer’s Paralympic Games after a commanding victory in the Para Ambulatory 100 metres. After warming up with a 16th place finish in the open women’s 100 metres, Borgella ran past her fellow ambulatory competitors with ease, crossing the line in 12.20 seconds – half a second ahead of silver medalist Sheriane Hause.

A double medalist at last year’s World Para Athletics Championship in Paris, Borgella will be looking to improve her T13 100-metre bronze to something a little more golden when the finals roll around on the evening of September 3. What won’t be on Borgella’s Paris schedule is the 200 metres, as they are not being offered for the T13 category at the Games.

A year ago, Connor Fraser entered the U20 discus competition as the favourite to take home gold but failed to make it out of the opening rounds. One year later, and up an age category, he is leaving the Canadian Championships as the second-best discus thrower in the country following a personal best throw of 50.57 metres.

Fraser initially put himself in the silver medal position following a second-round personal best of 50.18 metres. However, in the final round, Quebec’s Vladimir Tocari stepped into the circle and hurled the 2-kilogram platter out to 50.53 metres, forcing the Carleton University student to respond.

“What my coach Tim said just a couple of minutes ago was, ‘just go for one,’” commented Fraser on his mindset as he entered the circle for his final throw. And that he did, unleashing the discus and letting out a rare scream as it landed – 50.57 metres away.

“Last year’s U20 discus was a disaster,” said Fraser following the competition. “Coming in here, I guess I didn’t really have any expectations. And just being able to perform, it’s the unexpected ones that feel the best.”

Josh Cassidy added to his long list of Canadian Championship medals as he rolled his way to a convincing victory in the Para Wheelchair 1500 metres. Cassidy dominated his only event of the weekend, crossing the line in a time of 3 minutes and 18.55 seconds – nearly a full minute ahead of the second place competitor.

Earlier Saturday evening, two Club stars sealed their spots in the evening finals.

Lauren Gale looked comfortable winning her heat of the 400 metres in 51.87 seconds. Gale, who has achieved the Olympic standard this season, will line up in possibly the deepest 400-metre final in Canadian history, with a spot in Paris on the line. The final is scheduled for 8:57 pm.

Club record holder Stephen Evans is set to appear in his second straight national 800-metre final after his second-place effort of 1:47.84 secured him one of two automatic qualifying spots in his heat. Evans, who is scheduled to run at 10:08 pm, will be looking to improve upon his bronze medal performance from a year ago.

Kyle Waldrum concluded the two day U20 men’s decathlon with a personal best score of 5726. Waldrum finished 7th overall.

Visit live.athletics.ca to stay up to date with the latest results in Montreal.

Thursday night at the Canadian Track and Field Championships has become synonymous with distance running events since the creation of “Distance Night” when Ottawa hosted the 2018 event. Featuring an array of steeplechase and 5000 metre races, two Lions athletes made a notable impact by bringing home gold and silver medals.

In her first competitive race in nearly two months, Maddie Seaby displayed no signs of rust as she dominated the U20 women’s 5000 metre race from start to finish. Despite battling swirling winds, Seaby took the lead from the start and never relinquished it, winning with a time of 17 minutes and 10.45 seconds.

“It’s a little surreal,” Seaby said of her first U20 Canadian Championship title. “I’m still taking it in.”

Seaby had a breakout season in her first year at the University of Louisville, posting the seventh fastest U20 time in Club history for 3000 metres (9:42.33) and the fourth fastest for 5000 metres (16:35.43).

With her gold medal, Seaby becomes only the third Lion to win a national U20 title over 5000 metres, and the first woman. She joins an elite list that includes Michael Woods, who was recently named to his third Canadian Olympic Team in cycling, and Sean Kaley, a member of Canada’s 2000 Olympic Team, whose senior championship record over 5000 metres was bested by Mohammed Ahmed last night.

Kevin Robertson upgraded from a bronze medal last year to silver in the 3000 metre steeplechase last night, finishing in 8 minutes and 37.91 seconds after a speedy final lap. The recent Syracuse University graduate produced the fastest final lap of the evening, closing in 64 seconds to surge from fifth at the bell to second place.

Thursday night’s medal is Robertson’s second in the steeplechase at the Centre Sportif Claude-Robillard, following his win in the U20 event at the 2019 national championships. With his complete set of Canadian Championship medals, he now ties with Danelle Woods for the Club lead in national championship steeplechase medals.

In the U20 men’s 3000 metre steeplechase, Derek Strachan placed ninth overall with a personal best time of 9:41.11.

With a massive lifetime best in the U20 men’s 5000 metres, Noah Smith ran 15:29.75 to finish 17th. Smith’s previous best had been 15:50.91 set earlier this season. 

Salome Nyirarukundo finished 23rd in the senior men’s 5000 metres, recording a seasonal best time of 16:38.07.

Off the track, Olivia Merritt finished seventh in the senior women’s javelin throw. Competing in her first national championship, the 33-year-old produced a best throw of 42.26 metres.

A busy morning on the first full day of the 2024 Canadian Track and Field Championships saw 30 athletes in action including two in finals. 

Sadie Gibert competed well in her first national final, placing fourth in the U20 women’s shot put with a best throw of 10.88 metres. The result was a marked improvement over her result at the OFSAA Championships earlier this month where finished outside of the final in 18th.

Battling swirling winds that gave a number of vaulters headaches on the runway, Balqis Chouikhi managed to clear a height of 3.10 metres to finish 10th in the U20 women’s pole vault. The 16-year-old’s clearance was the third best clearance of her life.

In this morning’s qualifying rounds, three Lions performed well enough to advance to the main portion of the Championship. First to book their ticket was Doyin Ogunremi who advanced to the senior women’s 400 metre semi-finals after a seasonal best run of 55.75 seconds. This is the third straight year in which Ogunremi has advanced to the 400 metre semi-finals.

Over 100 metres, Bianca Borgella was among those to advance to the senior women’s 100 metre final after producing a windy 11.92 second effort. Borgella, who was a bronze medalist over 100 metres at last year’s World Para Athletics Championship, will contest the open women’s semi-final Friday night before running the Para Ambulatory 100 metre final to ensure her qualification for the Paralympic Games. 

One of the newest Lions, Stephan Balson was the final qualifier out of this mornings’ session. Balson, who hails from St. Kitts’s and Nevis, advanced to the semi-finals of the U20 men’s 100 metres after placing second in his heat with a wind aided time of 10.81 seconds.