© Copyright – 2024 – Athletics Illustrated

The Canadian Track & Field Championships and 2024 Paris Olympic Trials are happening at the Complexe Sportif Claude-Robillard in Montréal, QC this week. For the most part, athletes need to finish in the top three in their respective events to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games. Also, athletes need to be ranked in their respective events within the number of athletes the International Olympic Committee permits. For example, in the 5000m race, there will be 42 men and 42 women to start in Paris. There will be 56 in the 100m sprints. Global rankings and standards matter.

Men’s 5000m

Mohammed “Moh” Ahmed from St. Catharine’s, Ontario rolled out a fast 13:10.99 record 5000-metre run on Wednesday.

He clocked the meet record and fastest run on Canadian soil of all time during the Canadian Track & Field Championships. Ahmed needed to finish in the top three and run 13:05.00 or faster during the qualification period. Additionally.

In May the 33-year-old clocked a 12:54.22 at Drake Stadium in Los Angeles.

He is good to go to the Olympics.

Ahmed holds the national record at 12:47.20 from 2020 in Portland, OR. He is the Tokyo Olympic silver medallist.

Quebec’s Thomas Fafard, who needed to qualify during the race, put out a great effort finishing second in the time of 13:18.02. Ben Flanagan finished third in the time of 13:29.42. He has qualified through points and is going to his first Olympic Games.

Women’s 5000m

Gabriela DeBues-Stafford, holder of seven Canadian records has been injured on and off for the better part of two years.

Now that she has a good base of aerobic running and has had some quality sessions, she tried to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games in the 5000m event.

The women’s standard is 14:52.00.

DeBues-Stafford clocked a 15:33.50 at the Trials, coming up short on the standard, but won the race.

Her personal best is over a minute faster and the national record at 14:31.38. The 28-year-old’s best this season is 15:17.48 from the Harry Jerome Track Classic in June.

Briana Scott with club, Mile2Marathon took second in the time of 15:34.87, while Eleanor Baran, who is listed as unattached took third in the time of 15:36.25.

With Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon and Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay capable of running 14:00, running over 15 minutes is not going to do it.

DeBues-Stafford has made great strides in her comeback. She was attempting the new distance as opposed to her specialty, which was the 1500m event. She holds the national record in that event and finished fifth at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. She finished sixth at the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships and is a five-time national champion.

Women’s and men’s 3000m steeplechase

The top three in the women’s 3000m steeplechase were Ceili McCabe in 9:32.97, Regan Yee with her 9:42.07 and Grace Fetherstonhaugh in 9:43.13, all from the Greater Vancouver area.

The top 36-ranked athletes globally will go to Paris should they run faster than 9:23.00. McCabe clocked a 9:20.58 performance in LA at Drake Stadium in May this year, improving upon Gen Lalonde’s national record and eclipsing the standard.  McCabe will be going to Paris.

Yee has run as fast as 9:26.12 during the qualification period.

Likewise in the men’s 3000msc race, the top three did not breach the Olympic standard of 8:15.00.

Jean-Simon Desgagnés clocked an 8:34.56 performance for the win. Kevin Robertson went 8:37.91 for second and Aaron Ahl recorded a third-place time of 8:39.16

DesgagnĂ©s has come heartbreakingly close with a 2023 performance of 8:15.58 and a June 2024 run of 8:15.95. Being ranked 12th globally, will go a long way to him qualifying, but he is not out of the woods until Athletics Canada makes their announcement of who is on the team after the Trials have ended. Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali has run 8:03 twice during the qualification period. He is the world’s number one ranked steeplechaser at this time.

Results from the 2024 Canadian Track & Field Championships check here.Â