The 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships begin on Thursday, March 1, in Birmingham, U.K. The Canadian team, which is comprised of 15 athletes, is led by Olympic bronze medallist Damian Warner, 2015 World Champion Shawn Barber and features 10 athletes who have competed in an IAAF World Championships or Olympic final.
CBC Sports will live stream the meet online at www.cbc.ca/sports, and will feature select events on television Saturday and Sunday. To view the complete broadcast schedule, and to set calendar reminders, click here.
Here’s a look at when Canadian athletes will compete in Birmingham:
Day 1 - Thursday, March 1
Geneviève Lalonde (Moncton, N.B.), the Canadian steeplechase record holder and third fastest Canadian woman ever at 3000-metres, will get things started for Team Canada on Thursday evening. Lalonde will compete in the women’s 3000-metres final.
Day 2 - Friday, March 2
Day 2 of competition kicks-off with Damian Warner (London, Ont.) in the 60-metres. The 2016 Olympic bronze medallist in the decathlon will also compete in the long jump, shot put and high jump on the first day of the heptathlon. Crystal Emmanuel (Pickering, Ont.), a finalist in the 200-metres at the 2017 IAAF World Championships, will compete in the heats of the women’s 60-metres. A couple of up-and-comers, Travia Jones (Regina) and Kelsey Balkwill (Essex, Ont.), will get their first taste at an indoor world championship in the 400-metres. Veteran Angela Whyte (Edmonton), the fourth fastest Canadian of all-time at the 60-metres hurdles, will represent Canada for the 14th time at a major international competition. Heats of the women’s 1500-metres will feature 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, Kate Van Buskirk (Brampton, Ont.), and 2016 Olympian Gabriela Stafford (Toronto). Wrapping up Day 2 will be shot-putter Brittany Crew (Toronto), a gold medallist at the 2017 FISU Summer Universiade, who will compete in the women’s shot put final.
Day 3 - Saturday, March 3
On the final day of the men’s heptathlon, Damian Warner will compete in the 60-metre hurdles, pole vault and 1000-metres. With a solid couple of days, Warner will challenge Michael Smith’s Canadian indoor record of 6,279 points. In the men’s shot put final, 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Tim Nedow (Brockville, Ont.) looks to go 21-metres and step onto the podium. Indoor World Championships veteran Jenna Westaway (Calgary) will compete in the heats of the women’s 800-metres. Alysha Newman (London, Ont.), who placed seventh at last summer’s IAAF World Championships, looks to improve her result in the women’s pole vault final. Olympic finalist Johnathan Cabral (Péribonka, Que.) gets started in the heats of the 60-metres hurdles. Finals for the women’s 60-metres hurdles, 400-metres and 1500-metres will also take place on Day 3.
Day 4 - Sunday, March 4
Shawn Barber (Toronto), the 2015 World Champion in pole vault, is set to compete in the pole vault final. Canadian record holder Christabel Nettey (Surrey, B.C.) will take on a talented field in the women’s long jump final. The men’s 60-metres hurdles and women’s 800-metre finals will also take place on the final day of competition.
For the latest from the 2018 IAAF Indoor World Championships, follow Athletics Canada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or visit www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-indoor-championships.
- end -
