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Athletics Canada announces World Cross Country Championship roster

28 Canadians will head to Australia for this year's world championship event

Connor Black Photo by: Sean Burges/Mundo Sport Images

On Tuesday, Athletics Canada released its roster for the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championship. The team consists of 28 Canadians, who will travel to Bathurst, Australia, for the February 18 event. This is the first cross-country championship held by World Athletics since the 2019 event in Aarhus, Denmark, as the 2021 event was cancelled due to COVID-19. 

There will be five Canadian teams competing in Australia: men’s and women’s U20 teams, men’s and women’s open and a mixed relay squad. Headlining the teams are 2022 Canadian cross-country champions Julie-Anne Staehli and Connor Black. In total, Team Canada features five Olympians and seven athletes who have previously competed at the World Athletics Cross-Country Championship.

“We have great leadership, talent and experience to allow Canada to meet the tremendous challenge of World Cross Country racing,” said team leader Thelma Wright. “Canada historically has excellent individual and team results in both men’s and women’s U20 races, as well as some outstanding individual performances in our Senior ranks. This years team will be no different and we look to some very positive results and surprise performances.”

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Julie-Anne Staehli (@jastaehli)


 

Wright added that while each of the Canadian teams has a chance to drop big results, the open women’s team will be especially exciting to watch. “With five of our six senior women having previous world cross-country experience, and with four Olympians on the team, our senior women’s team is one of our strongest in a decade.” Joining Staehli, who competed at the Tokyo Summer Games, are three other Olympians: Regan Yee, Natalia Allen (formerly Natalia Hawthorn) and Maria Bernard-Galea. John Gay is the lone Olympian on the men’s roster. 

Back in Denmark in 2019, the Canadian teams had decent showings, with the open women’s and mixed relay teams both placing seventh, the women’s U20 team coming in sixth, the men’s U20 squad finishing 12th and the open men 16th. Wright said she thinks there’s a chance for each team to climb even higher up the ranks this year. 

The full roster

Athlete Name Hometown Club Coach
U20 Men      
Heath McAllister London, ON London Western T&F Club Dave Mills
Jack Lehto Burlington, ON Burlington T&F Club Terry Radchenko
Tion McLeish Victoria, BC University of Victoria Hilary Stellingwerff
Tristan Coles St. Thomas, ON London Western T&F Club Dave Mills
Jaxon Kuchar Trail, BC Victoria Endurance Track Club Hilary Stellingwerff
Gaetano Pocchi Toronto, ON Blue Devils Athletic Club Ben Devito
Non-travelling reserves      
Angus Skinner Kingston, ON Physi-Kult Brant Stachel
Tanner Hueglin Bradford, ON Newmarket Huskies  
U20 Women      
Erin Vringer Saint John, NB Saint Johns Red Track Club Kyle Kepler
Marika Couture Québec, QC Club d’athlétisme de l’Université Laval Vincent Filion
Ella Ballard Victoria, BC Prairie Inn Harriers Bruce Deacon
Emily Cescon Toronto, ON University of Toronto Track Club Ethan Davenport
Muriel Lovshin Toronto, ON Toronto Olympic Club Brian Lovshin
Michelle Gray Mississauga, ON Mississauga Track and Field Club Paul Carter
Non-travelling reserves      
Sierra Rodrigues Bolton, ON Saint John Track Club Chris Belof
Léane Baril Rouyn-Noranda, QC Tracklass Christian Villeneuve
Open Men      
Connor Black Forest, ON London Western TFC Dave Mills
John Gay Kelowna, BC Vancouver Thunderbirds Track & Field Club Chris Johnson
Max Turek Whitby, ON Harbour Track Paula Schnurr
Phil Parrot-Migas London, ON London Western TFC Dave Wills
Mitchell Ubene Tecumseh, ON Royal City Athletics Club Terry Radchenko
Andrew Davies Hamilton, ON Harbour Track Paula Schnurr
Non-travelling reserves      
Jeremy Coughler London, ON London Western T&F Club Dave Mills
Mike Tate Antigonish, NS London Western T&F Club Dave Mills
Open Women      
Julie-Anne Staehli Lucknow, ON Team New Balance Boston Mark Coogan
Natalia Allen North Vancouver, BC Vancouver Thunderbirds / Brooks Chris Johnson
Katelyn Ayers Orillia, ON Victoria Endurance Club Hilary Stellingwerff
Kate Bazeley St. Johns, NL Newfoundland Athletics Jon Brown
Regan Yee South Hazelton, BC Under Armour Stephen Haas
Maria Bernard-Galea Calgary, AB University of Calgary Athletics Club Matthew Galea
Non-travelling reserves      
Jessy Lacourse Québec, QC Club d’athlétisme de l’Université Laval Félix-Antoine Lapointe
Branna MacDougall Glenburnie, ON Physi-Kult Steve Boyd
Mixed Relay      
Jazz Shukla Toronto, ON Royal City Athletics Club Terry Radchenko
Erin Teschuk Winnipeg, MB New Balance Andrew Carlson
Matthew Beaudet Montreal, QC Club St-Laurent Sélect (CSLS) Samuel Marion
Perry MacKinnon Coaticook, QC Sherbrooke Jean-Pierre Lemelin

 

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