Canadian runners heading to world indoor championships

Athletics Canada, the governing body for track and field in Canada, has announced a list of nine Canadian athletes who will be heading to Sopot, Poland, for the world indoor track and field championships next week.

Some Canadian veteran names for middle and long distance running will be in attendance and and some up-and-comers have also been named to the team.

Nate Brannen, the most experienced of the runners, will be racing the 1500m. Brannen broke his own national record in the indoor mile earlier in February while racing in New York City. He’s twice represented Canada at the Olympics in 2008 and 2012 and is a regular on the international circuit in the 1500m.

Cam Levins will be racing the 3000m. Levins also represented Canada at the 2012 Olympics in London and also the 2013 world championships. Levins trains in Portland, Ore., under Alberto Salazar with double Olympic and world championships medallist Mo Farah.

On the women’s side, Nicole Sifuentes will race the 1500m. She also has experience representing Canada, competing in London for the Olympic team and the world championships last summer.

A rookie on the team will be University of Calgary student-athlete Jenna Westaway. Westaway will be missing the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships to race in Poland on her first senior national team. She’s had a breakout season with the University of Calgary Dinos and will be one to watch in the coming years.

The competition will take place March 7-9.

Other athletes attending in the sprints and field events are below.