Must-see match-ups at Canadian Track Championships

The Canadian Track and Field Championships are only 10 days away. With athletes putting the final touches on their training and excitement building, we can’t wait for the 2019 event, which doubles as World Championship trials.

The winner of each event gets an automatic spot, provided they’ve achieved standard, on team Canada for the 2019 World Championships in Doha. This auto-qual will attract some of the biggest names in Canadian athletics to come and race on home soil.

Andre De Grasse vs. Aaron Brown

ADG versus AB: this is a showdown you won’t want to miss. Both runners are racing the 100m and their seasons bests are hundredths of a second apart. De Grasse is slightly ahead, but Brown is certainly within striking distance of a win. De Grasse will need to have a strong day to take the 100m.

Prediction: ADG takes the 100m, AB takes the 200m.

Melissa Bishop vs. Lindsey Butterworth vs. Jenna Westaway

The women’s 800m is stacked–almost historically stacked. The defending champion, Butterworth, is set to line up against Canadian indoor 1,000m and 800m record-holder Westaway and Canadian record-holder and Olympic finalist Bishop.

Westaway became the first Canadian woman to run under 2:00 this indoor season. Butterworth has run the 10th fastest time in Canadian history and Bishop holds a remarkable personal best of 1:57.01.

This race is far from cut and dried. Bishop holds the fastest personal best by far, but she hasn’t raced much this season, only running one 800m (clocking a 2:01.10). Butterworth has the second-fastest incoming season’s best at 2:01.33, with Westaway close behind at 2:01.80.

Prediction: Bishop’s experience helps her to take the win.

Stafford vs. Stafford

The women’s 1,500m is a Stafford sister showdown. The two haven’t raced each other since the 2018 championship. While Gabriela is certainly the favourite to win, the sisters going one-two would make for a fun outcome.

However, this race won’t be Lucia’s to run away with–she will certainly have Mariah Kelly, Courtney Hufsmith, Gen Lalonde and Nicole Hutchinson on her tail.

Prediction: G. Staff takes the win, with a close battle for second between Lalonde and L. Staff.

RELATED: Hutchinson, Hufsmith earn their first international medals at FISU

Moh Ahmed vs. Justyn Knight

These are two men who have both had amazing seasons. Ahmed became the first Canadian to ever run under 13 minutes for the 5,000m and Knight has run a huge personal best in the event after a very successful Diamond League debut. But the field is deeper than just these two runners. There’s 2016 Olympian Luc Bruchet, Kieran Lumb (who just finished fourth at FISU), and Justin Kent, who’s had a killer season.

RELATED: RECORD ALERT: Mohammed Ahmed smashes his own 5,000m record in Rome

Prediction: Ahmed takes the race following a push for the win from Knight.

Confirmation lists are available currently on Trackie, and heat sheets will be released following qualifying rounds.