Canadian 10,000m record holder Cam Levins provides update on injury status
Cam Levins was unable to qualify for the Olympics this summer and had surgery in late-July. Here's an update on his running status. (Photo: Dave Holland.)
Cam Levins, the fastest-ever Canadian over 10,000m, has been sidelined by injury since July and hasn’t raced since the national track and field championships in Edmonton. An Olympic hopeful entering the summer of 2016, Levins was unable to qualify for Canada’s Rio team and finished seventh at the selection trials, a race in which a top-two result was needed for automatic Rio qualification.
It’s been nearly three months since Levins had surgery and he recently updated Canadian Running on his progress. Levins, who trains with the Nike Oregon Project, was considered one of Canada’s top talents after graduating from Southern Utah University in 2012. Levins, 27, broke the Canadian 10,000m record in 2015 at the Prefontaine Classic running 27:07.51.
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“Surgery was on July 24, and I’m probably about three to four weeks away from running still,” the Black Creek, B.C. native says. “However, it’s in part based on how I’m progressing.”
The surgery was required as Levins had been battling a recurring lower leg injury since the summer of 2015, prior to the world championships. During 2016, he represented Canada at the world indoor championships and showed signs of improvement, logging upwards of 210 kilometres per week. He ended his summer of racing after falling short of Olympic qualification in the 5,000m and 10,000m.
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“I am currently recovering from surgery on my ankle/foot, and so no real plans have been set forth as of yet,” Levins says when asked about the prospect of racing. “Trying to stay in the process of rehabilitation and decide on my future when I’m in a healthy state. Hard to commit to anything at the moment.”
It appears that the three-time Canadian cross-country champion will be forced to miss the national cross-country championships in Kingston, Ont. at the end of November. Indoor track begins in early 2017 with the outdoor season generally beginning in April. If Levins is unable to race by the end of cross-country, it appears he will be targeting a return in 2017.
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