Meet the high school sprinter leaving Canadian records in the dust

Kingston, Ont.’s Wyatt Lee has lofty goals for a 17-year-old, but for him, they’re well within reason. In just a year, the sprinter has gone from learning the basics of block starts to becoming a Canadian record holder in the 100m and indoor 60m. And he’s only getting started.

Through Grades 9 and 10, Lee played rugby and football at Frontenac Secondary School in Kingston. Late in the 10th-Grade track season, friend urged him to give sprinting a try. “My friend was pressuring me a bit–he really wanted me to try track,” Lee told Canadian Running. “I liked running, but nerves got to me a lot.”

Despite his hesitation, Lee joined–and quickly discovered it was his calling.

“At East Regionals in 2024, I started at 11.8 seconds,” he said. “After that, times just kept dropping.” He followed up with 11.5, then 11.2, then 11.00. At his first-ever OFSAA Championships, he broke the elusive 11-second barrier, clocking 10.80 to win bronze. One day later, he took silver in the 200m with a time of 21.97.

“I had been nervous about not knowing how fast other people were and about learning new things,” he said. “But I got better at handling those nerves.”

In 2025, Lee’s performances skyrocketed. At the Canadian Indoor Track and Field Championships in March, he set a new Canadian U18 indoor 60m record of 6.71 seconds. A month later, he broke his second U18 national record, running 10.44 in the 100m–surpassing Olympic champion Aaron Brown‘s 2009 mark of 10.46.

Lee lowered that time again again at the OFSAA qualifiers in early June, running 10.42. Then, at OFSAA, Lee shattered the 31-year-old interscholastic record of 10.41 seconds (set by 1996 Olympic gold medallist Carlton Chambers), clocking 10.38. He also won the senior boys’ 200m in 21.09, despite also racing against competitors one year older.

Lee now ranks fourth in the world among U18 sprinters in the 100m.

“I was expecting to run fast–but not this fast,” he said. Now, he’s targeting a sub-10.3 100m and a sub-21 200m. “I want to keep progressing. That means continuing to train, go to the gym, learn new techniques and listen to my coach.”

The teen credits Olympic champion Andre De Grasse–”the first sprinter I ever watched”–as an early inspiration. He also draws daily motivation from his training group at the Flying Angels Track and Field Academy.  “[My teammates] push me in practice and are always helping me get better,” he said.

Up next, Lee has the Flying Angels International Classic, the CTFL Final and the Canadian Track and Field Championships, where Lee will race for U20 gold.

“For now, my goals are to represent Team Canada at the U20 World Championships next summer,” he said. “I want to keep improving and keep working hard education-wise. When university comes, I know I can go Division I–and after that, I’ll look to achieve pro status.”