PREVIEW: Gee-Gees at the Canadian Track and Field Championships
The 2019 Canadian Track and Field Championships take place this weekend in Montreal, with numerous Gee-Gees team members and alumni competing.
The 2019 Canadian Track and Field Championships take place this weekend in Montreal, with numerous Gee-Gees team members and alumni competing. The event serves as a qualifier for the upcoming 2019 IAAF World Championships and will feature over a dozen Canadian Olympians among the field.
Competition starts on Thursday July 25 and will run through to Sunday July 28 at the Complexe Sportif Claude-Robillard in Montreal, Que. Complete event information (schedule, live stream, live results) can be found here -https://athletics.ca/championnat/montreal2019/?mc_cid=f79495c01e&mc_eid=05f8d7a94a
While completing her Master's in Human Kinetics, Mary Ollier ran the first leg of uOttawa's bronze medal-winning 4x800m team at this year's U SPORTS Championships. She secured the National Championship standard in the 400m hurdles this outdoor season and looks to lay down a performance that could earn a spot in the championship final.
Another member of the 2019 U SPORTS bronze medal 4x800m team will be making her first appearance in the open category of the Canadian championships: Maeliss Trapeau last competed at the Canadian National Championship as a U 20 athlete in 2017. In the summer of 2018 the second-year biotechnology student was representing France at the IAAF U 20 World Championships in Finland. Trapeau will be lining up on the 800m start line with a very high caliber field that has plenty of international experience.
The 2018 Canadian bronze medalist in the U 20 Steeplechase, André Alie-Lamarche will test himself in the 5000m this year. Following his first season in Garnet and Grey, the International Development and Globalization major will be going up against two Olympians and two top 10 performers from the 2017 IAAF World Championships.
Recent uOttawa graduate and U SPORTS gold medallist Stephen Evans will enter the Championship after a very successful indoor season and great start to outdoors. Stephen claimed gold in the 600m at the 2019 U SPORTS Championship and lowered his personal best in the 800m by nearly two seconds earlier this spring. Stephen claimed gold in a tactical 800m at the provincial championships showing that he has the tools to qualify for what is to be expected as a very strong 800m final.
Segun Makinde, a two-time Olympic team member and Gee-Gees alumnus, returns to the championships with his sights on the 110m hurdles and the 200m. Makinde was a finalist in the 200m last year; this year he will be adding to the workload and aiming for the podium in the 110m Hurdles where he is currently ranked fourth among all Canadians.
2018 Canadian silver medallist and former Gee-Gee Saj Alhaddad enters this year's championship ranked second in the 400m hurdles. Starting his season off with one of his best openers in Florida, Saj laid down a very strong performance at the Provincial Championships to show that he is ready to contend for the top step of the podium. He competed for uOttawa at the 2012 OUA Championships.
Rounding out the Gee-Gees representatives at the Championship are: (* indicates 2018-19 team members)
MEN: Raphaël Choquette* – Open Men Javelin, Adrian Fournier* – u20 Men 5000m, Andrew Heffernan* – Open Men 800m, Tyrece Johnson* – u20 Men 200m, Quinn Lyness* – u20 Men 400m Hurdles, Robert Mitchell* – Open Men 1500m, Kevin Nault – Open Men Pole Vault/110m Hurdles, Tim Valentine* – Open Men 100m/200m
WOMEN: Rebecca Brennan* – Open Women 5000m, Marie-Eve Dahms* – Open Women 400m Hurdles, Annabelle Gagné* – u20 Women Pole Vault, Farah Jacques – Open Women 100m Hurdles/200m