Canada wasted no time making a splash at the 2021 U20 World Athletics Championships in Nairobi, Kenya.
Heather Abadie’s bronze medal performance capped a busy day for Canada. The 18-year-old from Port Elgin, Ont. was perfect through three jumps, clearing 3.80 metres, 3.90 metres and 4.05 metres before stalling at 4.15 metres.
“I think it went amazing in the first part and then I hit a wall and I couldn’t figure what else to do,” said Abadie. “I still did the best I could with what I had and it was an amazing experience. I feel so honoured and thankful for this opportunity and hopefully I can go next year and win another medal.”
Almond Small took fourth place in his men’s 100-metre semi-final with a time of 10.53 seconds but did not advance to the final. Small had qualified for the men’s 100-metre semi-final in a time of 10.54 seconds.
“I thought my heat was well executed. I felt relaxed. The atmosphere was good. Competition was stacked,” said Small following his semi-final heat. “In the semi, I was feeling good but I didn’t really execute my race the way I wanted it to go. Other than that, I enjoyed myself, the experience was good, and I’m happy to go out there for the 200 metres on Friday.”
Izzy Goudros finished fifth in her women’s 100-metre semi-final with a time of 11.87 seconds. She had qualified for the semi-final in a time of 11.91 seconds. After two strong races, she did not advance to the final.
“I was really happy with how I did. I was super excited to make the semi, which was my big goal coming in,” said Goudros. “It’s one of my first big meets like this, so I just wanted to perform well, which I think I did, and I’m excited about running the 200 metres.”
Ethan Katzberg qualified for the men’s hammer throw final with a throw of 74.39 metres. “I felt good. I was a bit nervous yesterday but when I woke up this morning I was ready to go and I kept up that momentum,” said Katzberg. “I just went and did what I do best. Now, there’s lots of mental preparation so I come in here with a strong mentality. I made it here for a reason.”
Ella Clayton qualified for the women’s 400-metre final with a time of 54.51 seconds. “I felt strong. I’m excited to get into the final and see what I can do from there and represent Canada well,” said Clayton. “I’ll lay low for a bit and then get my legs together the day before. Then it’s go time.”
Michael Roth qualified for the men’s 400-metre final with a personal best time of 46.51 seconds. “I got out good and maintained it,” said Roth. “I honestly didn’t think it was going that well, so I’m excited about the finals because I have more to give.”
Callan Saldutto finished 18th in men’s javelin qualifying. His throw of 58.41 metres did not earn him a spot in the final. “I’m definitely a little disappointed with how I did,” said Saldutto. “I think it was an amazing experience and I learned a lot from it. I’ll definitely be able to build from here, come back and compete at more international meets and represent Canada.”
Don’t miss a minute of the action. Find Team Canada schedules, results, the live stream and Canadian stats and records at Athletics Canada’s online 2021 U20 World Athletics Championships hub.
