How Canada's strong track and field team stacks up
Almost every medallist from 2015 world championships is on the Rio team
By Callum Ng
It's hardly a stretch to say this is one of the best track and field teams Canada has ever produced.
OK, last year's IAAF world championships team that won eight medals, a national best, was also really good.
Almost everyone from that 2015 team is going to Rio with the hope of duplicating their world championship success on the Olympic stage.
Here's where those medallists stand after Canadian Olympic trials (as of July 11). The full team follows:
Canada's 2015 world championship medallists
Gold:
Shawn Barber — pole vault
2016 world rank: 3rd with 5.91-metres from Texas Relays in April
Barber's lifetime best is a Canadian record 5.93-metres, which on any day gives him a chance to win.
Derek Drouin — high jump
2016 world rank: Tied for 12th with 2.30-metres from Olympic trials in July
Every high jump competition is different. Drouin's lifetime best is 2.40-metres, which makes him capable of matching or bettering his bronze medal from the London Olympics.
Silver:
Brianne Theisen-Eaton — heptathlon
2016 world rank: 1st with 6,765 points from Hypo Meeting in May
No one in the world has been able to surpass Theisen-Eaton's national record 6,808 points in either 2015 or 2016.
Damian Warner — decathlon
2016 world rank: 3rd with 8,523 points from Hypo Meeting in May
Everyone is chasing world record-holder Ashton Eaton of the U.S.
Melissa Bishop — 800 metres
2016 world rank: 5th with 1:58.48 from Birmingham Diamond League in June
Bishop's Canadian record of 1:57.52 won her the silver in Beijing, she'll have to find that form again to medal in Rio.
Bronze:
Andre De Grasse — 100 metres
2016 world rank: Tied for 21st with 9.99 from Olympic trials in July
Sprinters prepare to run their fastest at the Olympics, so season bests are harder to judge.
Aaron Brown is the fastest Canadian in 2016 at 9.96 seconds.
Ben Thorne — 20-km race walk
2016 world rank: 19th with 1:19:55 in Rome in May
Thorne is one of three strong Canadian race walkers, including Iñaki Gomez and Evan Dunfee.
The men's 4x100-metre relay won bronze at the worlds in Beijing and with De Grasse, Brown, and Brendon Rodney in the mix, they'll be one of the stronger teams in Rio.
The full Canadian track and field team for Rio 2016:
- Kelsie Ahbe, Toronto, pole vault
- Mohammed Ahmed, St. Catharines, Ont., 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres
- Mobolade Ajomale, Richmond Hill, Ont., 4x100 relay
- Shawn Barber, Toronto, pole vault
- Maria Bernard, Calgary, 3,000-metre steeplechase
- Mathieu Bilodeau, Calgary, 50-km race walk
- Khamica Bingham, Brampton, Ont., 4x100 relay
- Melissa Bishop, Eganville, Ont., 800 metres
- Nathan Brannen, Cambridge, Ont., 1,500 metres
- Lucas Bruchet, Vancouver, 5,000 metres
- Aaron Brown, Toronto, 100 metres, 200, 4x100 relay
- Alicia Brown, Ottawa, 400 metres, 4x400 relay
- Jonathan Cabral, Péribonka, Que., 100-metre hurdles
- Chanice Chase, Toronto, 400-metre hurdles, 4x400
- Kendra Clarke, Edmonton, 400 metres, 4x400 relay
- Reid Coolsaet, Hamilton, Ont., marathon
- Brittany Crew, Toronto, shot put
- Andre De Grasse, Markham, Ont., 100 metres, 200, 4x100 relay
- Derek Drouin, Corunna, Ont., high jump
- Krista DuChene, Brantford, Ont., marathon
- Evan Dunfee, Richmond, B.C., 20-km and 50-km race walk
- Crystal Emmanuel, Toronto, 100 metres, 200, 4x100 relay
- Phylicia George, Markham, Ont., 100-metre hurdles, 4x100 relay
- Eric Gillis, Antigonish, N.S., marathon
- Elizabeth Gleadle, Vancouver, javelin
- Iñaki Gomez, Vancouver, 20-km race walk
- Akeem Haynes, Calgary, 100 metres, 4x100 relay
- Nikkita Holder, Pickering, Ont., 100-metre hurdles
- Matthew Hughes, Oshawa, Ont., 3,000-metre steeplechase
- Kimberly Hyacinthe, Terrebonne, Que., 200-metres, 4x100 relay
- Farah Jacques, Gatineau, Que., 4x100 relay
- Sekou Kaba, Ottawa, 100-metre hurdles
- Marissa Kurtimah, Guelph, Ont., 4x100 relay
- Geneviève Lalonde, Moncton, N.B., 300,0-metre steeplechase
- Oluwasegun Makinde, Ottawa, 4x100 relay
- Lanni Marchant, London, Ont., 10,000-metres, marathon
- Mike Mason, Nanoose Bay, B.C., high jump
- Brandon McBride, Windsor, Ont., 800 metres
- Taylor Milne, Callander, Ont., 3,000-metre steeplechase
- Noelle Montcalm, Belle River, Ont., 400-metre hurdles
- Carline Muir, Edmonton, 400 metres, 4x400 relay
- Tim Nedow, Brockville, Ont., shot put
- Christabel Nettey, Surrey, B.C., long jump
- Annika Newell, Toronto, Ont., pole vault
- Alysha Newman, London, Ont., pole vault
- Jessica O'Connell, Calgary, 5,000 metres
- Charles Philibert-Thiboutot, Quebec City, Que., 1,500 metres
- Micha Powell, Montreal, 4x400 relay
- Brendon Rodney, Brampton, Ont., 200 metres, 4x100 relay
- Anthony Romaniw, Hamilton, Ont., 800 metres
- Andrea Seccafien, Guelph, Ont., 5,000 metres
- Nicole Sifuentes, Winnipeg, Man., 1,500 metres
- Gabriela Stafford, Toronto, 1,500 metres
- Heather Steacy, Lethbridge, Alb., hammer throw
- Hilary Stellingwerff, Victoria, B.C., 1,500 metres
- Taryn Suttie, Hanley, Sask., shot put
- Erin Teschuk, Winnipeg, Man., 3,000 metre steeplechase
- Brianne Theisen-Eaton, Humboldt, Sask., heptathlon
- Benjamin Thorne, Kitimat, B.C., 20-km race walk
- Alyxandria Treasure, Prince George, B.C., high jump
- Damian Warner, London, Ont., decathlon
- Sage Watson, Medicine Hat, Alb., 400-metre hurdles, 4x400 relay
- Angela Whyte, Edmonton, 100-metre hurdles
- Chris Winter, North Vancouver, B.C., 3,000-metre steeplechase
- Natasha Wodak, Vancouver, 10,000 metres