Seventeen British Columbian athletes will represent Canada in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games.
A total of 57 Canadians, 33 women and 24 men, are being sent to Japan to compete with the world’s top competitors from July 30 to Aug. 8.
“I’m really excited to go to Tokyo. It’s crazy for me to think that I went to the Olympics in 2012, 2016 and now I’m getting ready for my third Olympic Games,” said Damian Warner, the top-ranked athlete in the men’s decathlon. “I couldn’t be more honoured to represent Team Canada and to go over to Tokyo with this talented group.
The athletes earned their nominations by achieving the entry standard during the qualifying period, or by world ranking position as of July 1, 2021.
COVID-19 has challenged the athletes unlike any other Olympic year. They have had restricted access to training facilities, inter-provincial travel bans have been in place, and have had to undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine periods when leaving the country.
Canada’s head coach, Glenroy Gilbert, said the athletes’ commitment to their Olympic dreams is commendable.
“When faced with adversity, these athletes rose to the occasion, performed on-demand and made the most of every opportunity they were given,” Gilbert said.
“Athletics Canada is fielding a strong team, with significant depth in a number of events. In Tokyo, I’m confident that they will be at their very best and will make Canada proud.”
The team has 31 returning Olympic veterans, including three-time Olympian Michael Mason, six two-time Olympians Mohammed Ahmed, Melissa Bishop-Nriagu, Aaron Brown, Elizabeth Gleadle, Gavin Smellie and Damian Warner. They are joined by 26 first-time Olympians.
The oldest member of the team is 41-year-old Malindi Elmore, while 22-year-old Camryn Rogers is the youngest.
Canada came home with six medals at the Rio 2016 Olympic games – the most since winning nine at the 1932 Los Angeles Games. Five Canadian records were broken, and eight athletes improved on Canada’s best-ever finishes in their respective events.
The team will meet in Gifu, Japan, on July 18, then train at Nagaragawa Athletic Stadium before heading to Tokyo five days prior to the first event.
The athletes nominated are:
- Mohammed Ahmed (St. Catharines, Ont.) – Men’s 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres (previously nominated in the 10,000 metres)
- Bolade Ajomale (Richmond Hill, Ont.) – Men’s 4×100-metre relay
- Marco Arop (Edmonton, Alta.) – Men’s 800 metres
- Mathieu Bilodeau (Quebec City, Que.) – Men’s 50-kilometre race walk (previously nominated)
- Khamica Bingham (Brampton, Ont.) – Women’s 100 metres
- Melissa Bishop-Nriagu (Eganville, Ont.) – Women’s 800 metres
- Jerome Blake (Kelowna, B.C.) – Men’s 4×100-metre relay
- Bismark Boateng (Brampton, Ont.) – Men’s 100 metres and 4×100-metre relay
- Aaron Brown (Toronto, Ont.) – Men’s 200 metres and 4×100-metre relay
- Alicia Brown (Ottawa, Ont.) – Women’s 4×400-metre relay
- Lucas Bruchet (Vancouver, B.C.) – Men’s 5,000 metres
- Alycia Butterworth (Parksville, B.C.) – Women’s 3,000-metre steeplechase
- Lindsey Butterworth (North Vancouver, B.C.) – Women’s 800 metres
- Kyra Constantine (Brampton, Ont.) – Women’s 400 metres and 4×400-metre relay
- Brittany Crew (Toronto, Ont.) – Women’s shot put
- Gabriela DeBues-Stafford (Toronto, Ont.) – Women’s 1500 metres
- Andre De Grasse (Markham, Ont.) – Men’s 100 metres, 200 metres and 4×100-metre relay
- Evan Dunfee (Richmond, B.C.) – Men’s 50-kilometre race walk (previously nominated)
- Georgia Ellenwood (Langley, B.C.) – Women’s heptathlon
- Malindi Elmore (Kelowna, B.C.) – Women’s marathon (previously nominated)
- Crystal Emmanuel (Toronto, Ont.) – Women’s 100 metres and 200 metres
- Lauren Gale (Ottawa, Ont.) – Women’s 4×400-metre relay
- John Gay (Vancouver, B.C.) – Men’s 3,000-metre steeplechase
- Elizabeth Gleadle (Vancouver, B.C.) – Women’s javelin throw
- Natalia Hawthorn (North Vancouver, B.C.) – Women’s 1500 metres
- Trevor Hofbauer (Burnaby, B.C.) – Men’s marathon (previously nominated)
- Matthew Hughes (Toronto, Ont.) – Men’s 3,000-metre steeplechase
- Madeleine Kelly (Pembroke, Ont.) – Women’s 800 metres
- Justyn Knight (Toronto, Ont.) – Men’s 5,000 metres
- Geneviève Lalonde (Moncton, N.B.) – Women’s 3,000-metre steeplechase
- Pierce LePage (Whitby, Ont.) – Men’s decathlon
- Cameron Levins (Black Creek, B.C.) – Men’s marathon (previously nominated)
- Django Lovett (Toronto, Ont.) – Men’s high jump
- Michael Mason (Nanoose Bay, B.C.) – Men’s high jump
- Brandon McBride (Windsor, Ont.) – Men’s 800 metres
- Natassha McDonald (Brampton, Ont.) – Women’s 400 metres and 4×400-metre relay
- Sarah Mitton (Brooklyn, N.S.) – Women’s shot put
- Noelle Montcalm (Windsor, Ont.) – Women’s 400-metre hurdles and 4×400-metre relay
- Timothy Nedow (Brockville, Ont.) – Men’s shot put
- Christabel Nettey (Surrey, B.C.) – Women’s long jump
- Anicka Newell (Saskatoon, Sask.) – Women’s pole vault
- Alysha Newman (Delaware, Ont.) – Women’s pole vault
- Dayna Pidhoresky (Tecumseh, Ont.) – Women’s marathon (previously nominated)
- Ben Preisner (Milton, Ont.) – Men’s marathon (previously nominated)
- Madeline Price (Toronto, Ont.) – Women’s 4×400-metre relay
- Brendon Rodney (Etobicoke, Ont.) – Men’s 200 metres and 4×100-metre relay
- Camryn Rogers (Richmond, B.C.) – Women’s hammer throw
- Andrea Seccafien (Guelph, Ont.) – Women’s 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres (previously nominated in the 10,000 metres)
- Gavin Smellie (Brampton, Ont.) – Men’s 100 metres and 4×100-metre relay
- Julie-Anne Staehli (Lucknow, Ont.) – Women’s 5,000 metres
- Lucia Stafford (Toronto, Ont.) – Women’s 1,500 metres
- Kate Van Buskirk (Toronto, Ont.) – Women’s 5,000 metres
- Damian Warner (London, Ont.) – Men’s decathlon
- Sage Watson (Medicine Hat, Alta.) – Women’s 400-metre hurdles and 4×400-metre relay
- Jillian Weir (Kingston, Ont.) – Women’s hammer throw
- Natasha Wodak (North Vancouver, B.C.) – Women’s marathon (previously nominated)
- Regan Yee (South Hazelton, B.C.) – Women’s 3,000-metre steeplechase
The coaches nominated are:
- Glenroy Gilbert (Ottawa, Ont.) – Head Coach
- Charles Allen (Toronto, Ont.) – Coach
- Kurt Downes (Windsor, Ont.) – Coach
- Gerald Dragomir (Vancouver, B.C.) – Coach
- Geoff Harris (Halifax, N.S.) – Coach
- Jeffrey Hartwig (St. Charles, Missouri) – Coach
- Heather Hennigar (Victoria, B.C.) – Coach
- Jeff Huntoon (Toronto, Ont.) – Coach
- Richard Parkinson (Stouffville, Ont.) – Coach
- Larry Steinke (Lethbridge, Alta.) – Coach
- Michael Van Tighem (Summerland, B.C.) – Coach
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