33 Canadians heading to world U20 championships in Colombia in August

Thirty-three athletes have been selected to represent Canada at the World U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia from Aug. 1 to 6, Athletics Canada reported on Thursday. The team will consist of 19 women and 14 men, a significantly bigger team than we had at last year’s championships in Kenya (Canada sent eight women and seven men, partly due to the pandemic), where the team earned two bronze medals.

Savannah Sutherland, who won bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles, and Heather Abadie (bronze, pole vault) are among the returning athletes, along with head coach Jason Reindl for his second consecutive year.

Four athletes are currently in the top 10 in the world U20 rankings, and 10 are in the top 25. Watch for Calgary’s Ella Clayton, who attends the University of Oregon, to contend for a medal in the women’s 400m. She is ranked fifth in the world, and has achieved world standard in four events, but plans to focus on the 400m, having placed sixth at worlds in 2021, and hopes for a sub-52 performance.

Toronto’s Almond Small, the national U20 champion and Canadian record holder in the 100m and 200m, is another athlete to watch. Max Davies, also of Toronto, overcame injury to achieve a 10-second personal best in the 1,500, running 3:41.95, which puts him in the top 25 worldwide.

Here is the full roster: