The Terry Fox Athletic Facility in Ottawa played host to the definitive weekend of Canadian track and field. With Commonwealth Games roster spots on the line for Glasgow, the nation’s best put on a show under the hot Ottawa sun at the 2026 Canadian Track & Field Championships. From predictable dominance in the cage to a tactical masterclass on the oval, the penultimate day of action did not disappoint.
Katzberg and Dunfee exhibit world-class form
In the men’s hammer throw, world and Olympic champion Ethan Katzberg did exactly what Ethan Katzberg does. The Nanaimo, BC native put on another absolute clinic, though he made the crowd wait for the grand finale. It wasn’t until his sixth and final attempt that the ball and chain sailed through the Ottawa sky, landing at 81.13 metres. The effort secured his fourth consecutive national title.
“I was happy with the result today,” said Katzberg. “It took a little bit to get into it. Sixth throw, best one. Feels good competing in Ottawa, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Celtic warrior Cú Chulainn would be proud.
Meanwhile, on the track—and we mean a lot of track—Evan Dunfee put on a masterclass in the men’s 20,000m race walk. Dunfee didn’t just win the title; he demolished the Canadian and Championship record books, clocking an astonishing 1:26:56.63. For Dunfee, the performance was fuelled by history.
“I was pretty motivated for those first 50 laps. I really wanted Tim (Berrett)’s record over 20,000 metres. It has been in the back of my head for a number of years now,” Dunfee said, noting that track 20Ks are a rare breed. “I knew my fitness after Guelph a couple of weeks back, over 10K put me in range. So, I was just chasing that every lap.”
Despite some hamstring tightness in the latter half, Dunfee was pleased with his trajectory toward full health.
On the women’s side of the multi-lap walk, Rosalie Drapeau executed a perfectly paced tactical race to claim the national title in 1:43:32.90. Drapeau noted her strategy was to squeeze the pace at the halfway mark of the gruelling 52-and-three-quarter-lap event.
Middle-distance drama: Arop steps up, McKenzie sneaks in
The talk of the track on Saturday evening was the tactical maneuvering in the 1500-metre preliminaries. While Lucia Stafford (4:14.48) and Jude Wheeler-Dee (3:47.00) controlled their respective fields to qualify first, 800m global phenom Marco Arop turned heads by bypassing his signature two-lap event to test his lungs in the metric mile.
“This was a really cool opportunity to try something different,” Arop said of his foray into the longer distance. “I’ve run so many 800s until this point, and I think I want to get better at the 1500. I’m going to have to race them as often as I am able to.”
The final on Sunday promises to be a tactical chess match. In the U20 ranks, Allison Wasson took the women’s 1500m crown in 4:23.27, while Chase Capes claimed the men’s title in 3:49.60.
The senior 800-metre finals provided the standard high-drama finish. In the women’s race, Nicole McKenzie dug deep into the well to squeak out a gold medal by a mere three one-hundredths of a second, crossing the line in 2:01.92. An emotional McKenzie credited her support system for keeping her belief alive.
In the men’s two-lap final, Abdullahi Hassan kept a proud collegiate tradition alive, capturing gold in 1:46.75. Hassan, a Mississippi State alum, noted the significance of keeping the MSU winning streak alive following in the spikes of Gary Reed, Brandon McBride and Marco Arop.
Hurdlers claim their territory
The sprint hurdles provided plenty of fireworks. Tatiana Aholou lined up against a stacked women’s 100m hurdles field featuring Olympians and U Sports standouts, emerging with her first national title in a blazing 12.82 seconds.
“I think it was a long time coming,” Aholou said. “Last year, I had the number one time in Canada. This year I had it again, so I really wanted to prove it today and solidify my place. I’m the best in Canada. That’s what’s up.”
Craig Thorne took emotional redemption in the men’s 110m hurdles, stopping the clock at 13.66 to win gold after missing last year’s championships due to injury.
In the 400m hurdles, David Moulongou led the charge in an ascending men’s domestic field, winning in 50.09 seconds, while Brooke Overholt claimed the women’s senior crown in 56.53 seconds.
The U20 hurdles saw standout performances from Jordynn Scott, who smashed the Championship record in the 100m hurdles with a 13.33 clocking, and Brady Tse, who destroyed his previous personal best to win the 400m hurdles in 51.55. Kate Fink (58.51) and Kieran Barnewall (13.66) also captured U20 gold.
Blair and Lavoie survive the heptathlon grind
The multi-events wrapped up after two days of gruelling attrition. Hannah Blair showed immense mental resilience to capture the senior women’s heptathlon title with 5,729 points, using a gritty performance in the concluding 800m to seal a narrow 39-point victory. Meanwhile, Clémence Lavoie relied on a stellar 2:19.46 final 800m to secure the U20 heptathlon title with 5,103 points.
Field and Para event highlights:
- Throws: Julia Tunks dominated the women’s discus with a top mark of 57.97m, while Erik Tyler took the men’s javelin title (73.48m). In para discus, Jesse Zesseu (46.79m) and Renee Foessel (34.65m) took top honors. Kate O’Brien and Maitlan Knoke both secured double-gold weekends by winning their respective seated shot put events, while Vivaan Jalla-Dhar won the para ambulatory javelin.
- Jumps: A rare dead-heat occurred in the men’s pole vault, where Éliot Tremblay and Gabriel Genest shared the national title at 5.00m. Izzy Goudros (6.52m) and Guilhem Hermet (7.41m) took the senior long jump crowns, while Marguerite Lorenzo cleared 1.83m to win the high jump. Para long jump golds went to Tianna Rissling and Noah Vucsics.
- Wheelchair Sprints: Isaiah Christophe dominated the men’s 200m wheelchair final in 26.76, while Isabella Vujicic clocked a personal best of 38.22 to take the women’s gold.
The championships conclude Sunday with a packed schedule of finals, highlighted by the 200m showdowns, the highly anticipated 1500m tactical wars, and the always-entertaining club relays.
Get all the information on schedules, live results, tickets and more at the 2026 Canadian Track & Field Championships homepage.
Stream all the action live from Ottawa on AthleticsCanada.tv. The live webcast and on demand videos are available for RunnerSpace +PLUS subscribers. Sign up here.
