Lucia Stafford obliterates Canadian 1,000m record in season opener

Toronto’s Lucia Stafford picked up where she left off last season, obliterating the Canadian women’s indoor 1,000m record by almost four seconds at the Boston University Terrier Classic on Saturday afternoon. 

Well that didn’t take long… 🔥👏🇨🇦

Toronto’s Lucia Stafford opens up her 2023 season with her first Canadian senior national record over 1,000m!!

WOW! pic.twitter.com/zUGeuSRsWp

— Canadian Running (@CanadianRunning) January 28, 2023

Stafford ran to a commanding 2:33.75 to win the race by three seconds over Allie Wilson of the U.S. Her time did not only break the previous Canadian record of 2:37.04, but it is also the fastest by any North American woman in history. This was her first Canadian senior national record.

The previous Canadian record was held by Jenna Westaway of Calgary, which was set in 2019 on the same track. Stafford’s previous best over 1,000m was 2:37.73 from 2021.

Only two women in the last 15 years have run faster than Stafford over 1,000m indoors—Olympic silver medallist Laura Muir and 1,500m world record holder Genzebe Dibaba.

Stafford, 24, finished her 2022 season in remarkable fashion, coming within four seconds of Emilie Mondor’s long-standing Canadian 5K record of 15:16 at the Endorphin 5K in Hamilton, Ont. last November. Stafford said after the race, she had no idea she would come that close to the record in her first crack at a road 5K.

On Feb. 11, Stafford will take on Muir at the 2023 Millrose Games in New York City in the women’s elite mile. The Canadian record for the mile is currently held by Lucia’s older sister, Gabriela DeBues-Stafford, who ran a blazing 4:19.73 in February 2020.