The world’s best athletes are gathering in Tokyo this week for the track and field world championships. For Canadian fans, this event is especially exciting because the country has an impressive lineup of athletes competing. From defending world champions to Olympic medal winners, Canada is sending one of its strongest teams ever.
Let’s take a closer look at the Canadians who could make headlines at the championships.
Camryn Rogers made history in 2022 when she became the first Canadian to win a hammer-throw medal at the world championships. She followed that up by winning gold in 2023. Last year in Paris, she and Ethan Katzberg both won Olympic gold medals in hammer throw, ending a 112-year drought for Canada.
At just 26, Rogers is already a dominant force. She has won eight of her nine international competitions this year, including the last six in a row. Katzberg, who is 23, started the year with five straight victories but recently finished second in three events. Hungary’s Bence Halasz, an Olympic silver medallist, has been his toughest rival. Both Rogers and Katzberg are medal favourites in Tokyo.
Marco Arop’s journey has been inspiring. He went from being eliminated in the semifinals of the 2021 Olympics to winning bronze at the 2022 world championships, then gold in 2023. At the Paris Olympics, he came very close to winning gold, losing by a fraction of a second to Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya.
This year, Arop has faced ups and downs. After trying the 1,500 metres in early races, he returned to the 800 metres and finished fifth, second, and fifth before earning a third-place finish at the season-ending Diamond League Final. Wanyonyi remains the man to beat, but Arop is ready for another big performance.
Canada has two of the world’s best decathletes. Damian Warner, who won Olympic gold in 2021, and Pierce LePage, who became world champion in 2023. At last year’s Olympics, Canada hoped for another 1-2 finish, but injuries changed everything.
LePage missed the Games due to back surgery, while Warner was forced out after a foul in the pole vault. This season has been tough too. Warner, now 35, placed sixth at the famous Hypo Meeting in Austria, while LePage fell over a hurdle in the same event and had to withdraw. Despite setbacks, both remain strong medal contenders.
One of the most thrilling Canadian stories in recent years is the men’s 4x100 metres relay team. In 2022, Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake, and Brendon Rodney shocked the United States by winning world championship gold in Oregon. Then, in Paris, they won Olympic gold despite qualifying with the slowest time.
Teamwork and precise baton exchanges helped them defeat faster rivals. The United States is still the favourite this year, but Canada is always dangerous. De Grasse, now in his 30s, may not be as fast as before, but the team’s unity gives them a chance.
Sarah Mitton won silver at the 2023 world championships and is chasing gold this time. She recently won her second consecutive indoor world title and almost won the Diamond League Final too, before a technical review moved her to third. Mitton is among the best in the world and has a strong shot at gold.
Moh Ahmed is one of Canada’s greatest long-distance runners. He has Olympic and world medals in the 5,000 metres and came close to winning again in Paris, finishing fourth in the 10,000 metres. At 34, he may be nearing the end of his track career and could soon move to road races, but he still hopes to add another medal in Tokyo.
Evan Dunfee became famous in Canada for winning bronze in the 50 km race walk at the 2019 world championships and the 2021 Olympics. Since the 50 km event was removed, Dunfee has switched to shorter races. He placed fourth in both the 20 km and 35 km at the 2023 worlds and finished fifth in the 20 km at the Paris Olympics.
This year, he broke the North American record in the 20 km and the world record in the 35 km. That makes him a medal favourite in both events.
At only 22, Savannah Sutherland is a name to remember. She reached the Olympic final in the women’s 400-metre hurdles last year and placed seventh. She later broke the U.S. collegiate record while winning her second NCAA title in three years.
Her personal best of 52.46 seconds is the third fastest in the world this year, behind only Femke Bol of the Netherlands and American star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. With McLaughlin-Levrone skipping hurdles for the flat 400 metres, Sutherland has a great chance to win a medal.
Canada is sending one of its strongest track and field teams ever to the world championships in Tokyo. With experienced champions like Camryn Rogers, Ethan Katzberg, Marco Arop, Damian Warner, and Andre De Grasse, plus rising stars like Savannah Sutherland, Canadian fans have many reasons to be excited.
The competition will be tough, but this mix of proven champions and young talent gives Canada a real chance to bring home multiple medals.
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