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Here are the Canadians to watch at World Championships

Outside of the household names, here's a list of Canadian track athletes fans should keep their eyes on at the 2022 World Championships

Photo by: Photo: Athletepics.ca

The 2022 World Championships are set to begin this Friday, July 15 from Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Athletics Canada has sent a team of 59 track and field athletes to chase glory, with many of the names making their world championship debuts.

The 2022 World Championships at Hayward Field. Photo: University of Oregon Athletics

All four of Canada’s medallists on the track from the Tokyo Olympics will compete in Eugene, but outside of Andre De Grasse, Evan Dunfee, Damian Warner and Mohammed Ahmed, who should Canadian track and field fans keep their eyes on?

Malik Metivier (400m hurdles)

These championships will be the Malik Metivier coming out party in the 400mH. The 23-year-old grad student at Texas Tech University has dipped under 49 seconds on several occasions this season, which led him to a second-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Championships. Metivier’s best only sits half a second shy of the Canadian 400mH record of 48.24 seconds. 

Metivier comes into the championships in good form and will rely on his success this year at Hayward Field to lead him to the 400mH final. He will begin his campaign on Saturday, July 16 at 4:20 p.m. E.T. in the 400mH heats. 

Ceili McCabe (3,000m steeplechase)

The 20-year-old steeplechaser from Vancouver has had a year to remember competing for West Virginia University. She finished third at the 2021 NCAA XC Championships, set a U23 3,000m record indoors, and bronze in the steeplechase at the 2022 NCAA Track Field Championships. 

Photo: athletepics.ca

Now McCabe has been named to her first senior national team, winning the Canadian championships in a personal best time of 9:30.69. The bigger the stage in her career, the bigger her performances have been.

Look for McCabe to battle alongside Canada’s Regan Yee and Grace Fetherstonhaugh in the 3,000m steeplechase heats on Saturday, July 16 at 1:35 p.m. E.T.

Marco Arop (800m)

Going into these championships, Arop is ranked third in the world in the 800m. He ran a near solo 1:43.61 at the Pre-Worlds Invite in Edmonton last week and looks to be near his personal best form. If the 800m was a one-off final, Arop would win the race eight times out of 10. He is one of the strongest 800m runners in the world and continues to show flashes of the great David Rudisha in his races. But can Canada’s fastest 800m runner last the three rounds?

Photo: Athletepics.ca

The 800m is a battle, and three rounds of 800m in four days will certainly take its toll on the runners. Arop will need to control and conserve his speed in the heats for him to have success in the semis and final. 

The 23-year-old wants nothing short of the world championship podium, and will do whatever it takes to get there. He will begin his competition in the 800m heats on Wednesday, July 20 at 8:20 p.m. E.T.

Women’s 4x400m relay team

After a redeeming and heartbreaking fourth-place performance at the Tokyo Olympics, Canada’s 4x400m team is back with a different look, full of young talent. Kyra Constantine is the only returning athlete from the Tokyo 2020 team, with Alycia Brown retiring and Sage Watson taking time off. This women’s 4x400m team is young but talented, with Aiyanna Stiverne and Lauren Gale both running personal best 400m times this year. 

Canada’s women’s 4x400m relay team at World Relays in 2019

The U.S. team will be tough to beat for gold, especially if their Tokyo 4x400m team of four Olympic champions reunites at Hayward Field. The young Canadian contingent could be a surprise team to find their way on the podium if they qualify for the final. The heats of the women’s 4x400m kick off on Saturday, July 24 at 2:10 p.m. E.T. 

Aaron Brown (100m and 200m)

At major championships, Brown almost always makes the final (he’s a five-time world championship finalist) but never the podium (except in the relay). He was sixth at the 2020 Olympics in the 200m and sixth at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. If there’s one thing that has changed for Brown this season, it has been his consistency. He has won four of his five 200m races this season and has run under 20.20 seconds several times.

Aaron Brown in the men’s 200m at the Tokyo Olympics. Photo by Mark Blinch/COC

The 30-year-old sprinter has proven he is in the shape of his career, taking home both 100m and 200m titles at the Canadian championships and is destined for a shot at the 200m podium in Eugene if he can hold off the likes of U.S. sprinters Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek.  

Brown will compete for Canada in the men’s 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at these championships. The 200m heats will begin on Monday, July 18 at 8:05 p.m. E.T.

Lucia Stafford (1,500m)

The newly crowned Canadian 1,500m champion has had an under-the-radar season on the track. She has only raced the 1,500m on three occasions and once outside of nationals, clocking a 4:05.12 at the Portland Track Festival in June. The 23-year-old middle-distance runner had a breakout performance at last year’s Olympics, running back-to-back personal bests in the heats and semis of the 1,500m. At 2022 World Indoors in Serbia, Stafford made her first major final in the 1,500m, placing eighth in 4:06.41.

Canada’s Lucia Stafford in the heats of the 1,500m at the Tokyo Olympics

Stafford will look to continue her success from World Indoors and Tokyo to reach the 1,500m final in Eugene. The heats of the women’s 1,500m will start on Friday, July 15 at 9:10 p.m. E.T.

Camryn Rogers (hammer throw)

The 23-year-old Richmond, B.C. native was fifth at the Tokyo Olympics in her debut (the highest ever finish by a Canadian hammer thrower) and is a three-time NCAA champion in the discipline. She currently holds the top 10 throws in NCAA history and is ranked third in the world heading into these championships.

Rogers is a force to be reckoned with in the hammer throw and one of the favourites to medal for Team Canada. You can catch the opening round of the hammer throw on Friday, July 15 at 4:30 p.m. E.T., with the final taking place on Sunday, July 17 at 2:35 p.m. E.T.

The 2022 World Athletics Championships are set to begin on Friday, July 15, from Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Follow Canadian Running on Twitter on Instagram for all things Team Canada and up-to-date exclusive news and content.

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