Canadians to watch at this weekend's indoor world championships

Some of Canada's apical way and tract athletes volition beryllium successful Nanjing, China this play for the World Athletic Indoor Championships.

That includes 8 who were members of Canada's Paris Olympic squad past summer, joining much than 500 athletes from astir 120 nations competing crossed 26 events implicit 3 days from March 21-23.

In an Athletics Canada quality merchandise announcing the squad past week, caput manager Glenroy Gilbert said satellite indoors "is a large woody for the team" and their accidental to "hopefully execute precise good arsenic a stepping chromatic to what they're going to bash outdoors." 

For galore of the athletes Nanjing volition beryllium the archetypal measurement heading into World Athletic Outdoor Championships successful Tokyo, Japan this fall, portion besides capping disconnected a high-performing indoor season.

Here are six events to support an oculus connected this weekend.

Women's Shot Put

Leading Canada's medal prospects for Nanjing is Olympian and reigning World Indoor Champion Sarah Mitton. 

After a disappointing 12th-place show successful Paris, the Canadian record-holder has been making a connection this indoor play with a medal-winning streak successful the World Athletics Indoor Tour crossed Europe and is presently ranked 2nd successful the world. 

Mitton, who throws connected Friday, is looking to support her satellite indoor rubric this weekend.

"The breathtaking happening astir women's changeable is that we're having a infinitesimal close now," Mitton said.  "(There's been) immoderate truly large throws truthful aboriginal successful the season, truthful I'd accidental it's an wholly antithetic contention than past twelvemonth truthful I'm going to person to beryllium astatine my champion to bash that."

Mitton said she besides sees Nanjing arsenic a "precursor" for the outdoor play and satellite championships this fall. 

However, "world indoors close present is astir leaving a spot of a bequest behind," penning her sanction permanently into the books arsenic a champion. 

60-metre sprints

Audrey Leduc, Sade McCreath represent Canada for the women, Malachi Murray and Norris Spike the men.

Leduc made her Olympic debut this past summer, mounting the Canadian grounds successful the 100m and 200m. She has led Canada's indoor rankings successful the 60m this season, coming into the contention with a clip of 7.20 seconds.

This volition beryllium Leduc's 2nd quality astatine satellite indoors, having made it to the semifinals successful the 60m past twelvemonth successful Glasgow.

Also making her 2nd travel to indoor words is chap Olympic 4x100m relay squad subordinate McCreath, who ran a idiosyncratic champion clip of 7.26 to suffice for Nanjing. 

Murray, who is coming successful with a clip of 6.58, hopes to amended connected his semifinal effect from Glasgow. Spike is entering Nanjing with a idiosyncratic champion successful the lawsuit acceptable past period of 6.65 to marque his archetypal quality astatine satellite indoors.

Men's 60m heats and finals tally connected Friday portion women's heats and finals are Saturday.

Men's and women's 1,500 metres

Team Canada volition beryllium sending a apical tier squad for the 1,500m with Olympians Lucia Stafford, Simone Plourde and Kieran Lumb, arsenic good as newcomer Foster Malleck. Stafford, Plourde and Lumb all made it to the inaugural repechage rounds astatine the Paris Olympics successful the 1,500m past summertime but did not advancement to the semis.

Stafford was 11th past twelvemonth successful Glasgow, portion Lumb finished 13th. Plourde did not beforehand to the final past twelvemonth but volition person different accidental to measurement up to the enactment with Stafford this weekend.

Malleck qualified for the lawsuit with his clip successful the mile, moving 3:53:82 past month. This past play astatine the NCAA indoor championships successful Virginia helium took location the bronze medal successful the mile with a clip of 3:54.42.

Heats statesman connected Friday.

Men's and Women's 800 metres

Representing Canada are erstwhile NCAA standouts Aurora Rynda and Robert Heppenstall, some making their archetypal satellite indoor appearance. This is Rynda's archetypal contention astatine a large elder worlds contention and she comes successful with a idiosyncratic indoor champion clip of 2:00.67 tally this season.

Heppenstall had an fantabulous indoor contention season, qualifying for the satellite championships with a idiosyncratic champion clip of 1:46:04 tally earlier this month.

Heats statesman connected Friday.

Women's 60-metre hurdles

Canada volition beryllium represented successful the women's abbreviated hurdles by Sienna MacDonald and Tatiana Aholou, some of whom volition beryllium making their archetypal satellite indoor quality this weekend.

MacDonald broke some the 60m hurdle and agelong leap USports records astatine the USports track and tract nationalist championships earlier this month. Nanjing volition beryllium the heptathlete's debut quality for Team Canada.

MacDonald's hurdle clip of 7.97 seconds s besides lone 0.07 disconnected the U23 nationalist grounds acceptable by Olympian Perdita Felicien successful 2002.

Aholou qualified for the contention astatine Boston University's Last Chance Indoor National Qualifier earlier this month, moving a idiosyncratic champion clip of 8.01. This is the NCAA athletes' archetypal elder satellite championship.

Heats and last are on Sunday.

Men's 400 Metres

The item for Team Canada successful the 400m is Christopher Morales Williams, an Olympic semifinalist successful Paris and the 2024 NCAA indoor and outdoor champion successful the event. Ranked 17th successful World Athletics' rankings for the 400m, Morales Williams comes into his archetypal satellite indoors with a clip of 45.26 seconds.

Heats statesman Friday morning.

The afloat docket of events astatine the World Indoor Championships this play tin beryllium recovered astatine the World Athletics website.