Canadian Olympic hopefuls descend on Montreal, Quebec this weekend for the 2021 Canadian Track & Field Championships – Olympic Trials. At the historic Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard, the event runs from June 24th to June 27th, and will feature some returning faces but also some new ones to the world stage.
This is the final test for potential Team Canada athletes, who will have the chance to represent their country at the upcoming (rescheduled) Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics Games.
The Men’s event is highlighted by international standout Damian Warner. Warner, a member of London Western Track and Field Club, is the reigning bronze medal from the 2016 Olympic games in the decathlon. He also boasts the title of two-time Pan Am champion to go along with two bronze and a silver medal at the last three world championships. Warner will be competing in the Men’s Long Jump on Friday and the 110m Hurdles on Saturday.
Elsewhere on the Men’s side, a runner to keep an eye out for is Philip Osei. Having represented Canada on the World Stage numerous times, Osei is searching for his first Olympic birth. A 400m specialist, he enters the weekend as the top ranked runner with a time of 45.76s. The Men’s 400m goes on Friday.
Over on the Women’s side, Melissa Bishop-Nigaru enters the competition having run the 800m in the past two Olympics in 2012 and 2016 respectively. She currently holds the Canadian record in the 800m with a time of 1:57.01 and is coming off a great season which has seen her post a season’s best of 1:58.62. Bishop-Nigaru runs in the 800m on Friday.
Another woman to watch is 400m Hurdler Noelle Montcalm. She made her Olympic debut at Rio 2016 where she competed individually in the 400m hurdles and helped Canada to a fourth place finish in the 4x400m relay. The 400m hurdles goes early on Friday morning.
The event also showcases some of Canada’s best Paralympic hopefuls. Marissa Papaconstantinou is coming off an exceptional weekend at the High Performance meet in Toronto which saw her post a Canadian record in the T64 200m with a time of 27.49s. Papaconstantinou, who participated at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, is participating in the 100m and 200m events on Friday and Saturday. Another Paralympian coming off a stellar weekend is Amanda Rummery. At the High Performance meet in Toronto, Rummery set a Canadian record in the T46 400m posting a time of 1:00.26s. She made her international debut at the 2019 Parapan Am Games in Lima, Peru. The 400m goes on Friday morning.
The Trials will be broadcast live from Montreal, Quebec Friday through Sunday, June 25-27 on AthleticsCanada.tv. The meet will be broadcast in both English and French.
With no on-site spectators allowed, Athletics Canada teamed up with Bell to ensure every Canadian has access to the webcast. Click here to use the code “BellTrials” to activate your free three-day RunnerSpace +PLUS subscription.
