Canadian women finish third at world university championships

A team of some of Canada’s best university cross-country runners took home a bronze medal at the world university cross-country championships on Saturday, March 22, in Entebbe, Uganda, a town near the capital of Kampala.

The Canadian women scored 38 points, behind winners Uganda, who swept the individual podium with a score of six, and Japan who scored 15.

The Canadian women were led by Canadian Interuniversity Sport cross-country champion Julie-Anne Staehli, a Queen’s University athlete, who finished seventh overall. Victoria Coates, a Queen’s teammate of Staehli, was the second Canadian finisher in 13th.

The men’s team finished sixth overall with a score of 105 and was led by a University of Guelph duo of Tristan Woodfine and Andrew Nixon.

Woodfine finished seventh overall as the top Canadian and Nixon finished 30th.

Both individual titles were won by Ugandans. Winneie Nanyondo won the women’s title and Joshua Cheptegei was the men’s champion.

The world university cross-country championships are held every two years. The 2010 event was held in Canada in Kingston, Ont. The 2016 race will be held in Cassino, Italy.