Edmonton, Alta.- Exciting finishes in the men’s and women’s 5000-metre finals capped off a great first day at the 2015 Canadian Track and Field Championships in Edmonton, Alberta. In the women’s race, Canadian marathon record holder Lanni Marchant of London, Ont., tried to press the pace over the final half of the race, but was unable to hold off the strong kick of Nicole Sifuentes of Winnipeg, Man. Marchant held on for second behind Sifuentes, while Natasha LaBeaud of Kelowna, B.C., took third spot on the podium.
In the men’s 5000-metres Olympians Cam Levins of Black Creek, B.C., and Mohammed Ahmed of St. Catherine’s, Ont., were content to sit back and let others control the early pace. The two created a gap on the main pack over the final two kilometres, setting up a fast last lap to fight it out for victory. Ahmed was the first to accelerate and looked strong on the backstretch, but Levins found another gear coming home to cross the line first in 13:51.34, followed by Ahmed in 13:52.84. Lucas Bruchet of White Rock, B.C., came through for third spot in 14:02.58.
In the women’s ambulatory javelin, Ness Murby of Vancouver, B.C., broke her F11 classification Canadian record with a throw of 22.78-metres. Diane Roy of Sherbrooke, Que., was the class of the field in the women’s wheelchair 1500-metres winning the event in 4:01.00. In the T54 men’s wheelchair 800-metres Alexandre Dupont of Bradwell, Sask., and Josh Cassidy of Ottawa, Ont., battled back and forth with Dupont holding his position in the inside lane down the final stretch, Dupont was able to get to the finish line first, a mere .19 seconds ahead of Cassidy to take the title.
Day 1 Canadian Champions
Anne-Marie Comeau - Junior Women 5000m, 17:05.56 Championship Record
Kevin Strybosch -Men Para Ambulatory Discus, 46.37m
Larissa Brown - Women Para Ambulatory 100m, 13.92
Jennifer Brown - Women Para Ambulatory Discus, 30.46m
Stuart McGregor - Men Para Ambulatory 1500m, 4:20.30
Shanna Boutilier - Women Para Ambulatory 400m, 1:08.25
Alister McQueen - Men Para Ambulatory Javelin, 48.66m
Ness Murby - Women Para Ambulatory Javelin, 22.78m
Michelle Stilwell - Women Para Wheelchair 100m, 20.25
Lana Dupont - Women T53 Para Wheelchair 100m, 18.44
Nathan Dewitt - Men T34/T51/T52 Para Wheelchair 100m, 17.30
Colin Mathieson - Men T53/T54Para Wheelchair 100m. 15.25
Diane Roy - Women Para Wheelchair 1500m - 4:01.00
Jean-Philippe Maranda - Men Para Wheelchair 800m, 1:46.49
Alexandre Dupont - Men Para T54 Wheelchair 800m, 1:40.91
Nicole Sifuentes - Women Senior 5000m, 16:17.32
Cam Levins - Men Senior 5000m, 13:51.34
Jason Dunkerley - Men T11 Para Ambulatory 5000m, 16:20.85
What to watch on Day Two
The second day at the Championships gets underway on the field at 10:45 a.m. MT with the junior women’s discus final and on the track at 11:00 a.m. with the junior men’s 3000-metres steeplechase final.
The 100-metres finals (7:50 p.m. MT) will feature talented fields with experienced athletes ready to battle for the title of the fastest man and woman in Canada. The men’s favorite, Andre De Grasse of Markham, Ont., recently won the 100 and 200-metres at the NCAA Championships. Defending Canadian champion and 4x100-metres World Championship bronze medallist Gavin Smellie of Etobicoke, Ont., beat De Grasse last year and hopes to repeat that feat. On the women’s side, a talented group of ladies, including Khamica Bingham of Caledon, Ont., and Crystal Emannuel of Pickering, Ont., broke the Canadian 4x100-metres record this spring at the IAAF World Relays in the Bahamas. These two, along with their relay record teammates and some fast collegians will make for a great final.
The 3000-metres steeplechase finals (7:30 & 8:05 p.m.) feature a number of world-class athletes. Matthew Hughes of Oshawa, Ont., is the Canadian record holder and will represent Canada in Toronto at the Pan Am Games. Challenging Hughes will be Olympians Alex Genest of Lac-aux-Sables, Que., Taylor Milne of Guelph, Ont., and 2013 World Champs team member Chris Winter of Vancouver, B.C. On the women’s side, Geneviève Lalonde of Moncton, N.B., has had a breakout season. Lalonde ran the second fastest time ever by a Canadian at the recent New York Diamond League meeting. She could face a strong challenge from Erin Teschuk of Winnipeg, Man., who was fifth at the recent NCAA championships.
Highlighting the field events are the women’s senior javelin and women’s long jump. Elizabeth Gleadle of Vancouver, B.C., set a new Canadian record this spring throwing 64.83-metres in Japan. In the women’s long jump Christabel Nettey of Surrey, B.C., jumped 6.99-metres for a new Canadian record earlier this year and is currently ranked number two in the world. Multi-event star and 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Brianne Theisen-Eaton of Humboldt, Sask., will contest the long jump as she prepares for a number of big competitions later this summer. All three will compete for spots on the podium at the upcoming Pan Am Games and IAAF World Championships.
Along with steeplechase finals, top junior event finals include: women (5:00 p.m.) and men’s high jump (7:00 p.m.); men’s shot put (7:00 p.m.); and the 100-metre women (7:20 p.m.) and men’s (7:25 p.m.) final.
In para-athletics don't miss the women's final in the wheelchair 800-metres (6:30p.m. MT) and men’s final in the wheelchair 400-metres (6:35 p.m. MT) and 100-metres ambulatory (7:45 p.m. MT). The wheelchair 400-metres features a number of world-class athletes including Jean-Philippe Maranda of Notre-Dame-des-Pins, Que., and Alexandre Dupont of Bradwell, Sask., who won bronze in the 1500-metres at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
