Fifty-nine track and field athletes, the most Canada has sent to a World Athletics Championships, will try to top the six medals the 2023 team earned in Budapest, Hungary.
Competition runs through Sunday in Tokyo. Watch all the action on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem, and click here for the full broadcast details.
Canada has sent four defending champions for the first time in world championship history: Hammer throwers Ethan Katzberg and Camryn Rogers, 800-metre runner Marco Arop and decathlete Pierce LePage. Rogers successfully defended her title on Monday and Katzberg followed suit about 24 hours later.
Athletics Canada also named four athletes in an individual event, also a first, in the men’s 800.
Visit here each day for details on the notable events featuring Canadian athletes, including the time of their competition and brief summary of their season.
WEDNESDAY
Women’s 200 metres, heat 1 — 6:30 a.m. ET
Jacqueline Madogo was a late addition to the Canadian team for the 200 after being named to the relay squad. The Ottawa native will be making her worlds debut in the distance. This is her second appearance at the major championship after Madogo and the Canadian women’s relay team didn’t advance from the 100 heats at the 2022 competition.
In her 2024 Olympic debut, the 25-year-old was seventh in her 200 semifinal heat in Paris, running a 22.58-second personal best in the repechage round. She has a 23.15 season best in 2025.
Heat 5 — 6:58 a.m. ET
Audrey Leduc returns to the track after being eliminated in the 100 semifinals of her world championship debut on Sunday. The Gatineau, Que., sprinter won her second consecutive Canadian title on Aug. 3 in a wind-aided 22.55 seconds but hasn’t been able to lower her 22.80 season best from June 7.
Leduc, 26, didn’t advance from the semifinal round at her first Olympics last summer. The first three in each heat Wednesday in Tokyo automatically qualify for Thursday’s semifinals. The final is slated for 9:22 a.m. ET on Friday.
Men’s 200 metres, heat 2 — 7:22 a.m. ET
Aaron Brown is the most rested Canadian in this event, having not competed since helping the relay squad to victory at the NACAC Championships on Aug. 17. He won the 200 the day before in 20.27 seconds.
The Toronto native was second to Jerome Blake at the recent Canadian championships after winning a year ago. But Brown’s 20.08 clocking is his fastest of the season. At the 2023 worlds, Brown was disqualified for stepping on the line in the semifinals.
WATCH | Brown & Perdita Felicien give their podium predictions for Tokyo:
The Trackside hosts pick their podium favourites for some of the biggest matchups heading into the world athletics championships in Tokyo.
Heat 3 — 7:29 a.m. ET
Jerome Blake of Kelowna, B.C., ran 10.03 seconds in the 100 semifinals in Tokyo but didn’t advance. The 30-year-old will race his first 200 since winning his first Canadian title on Aug. 3 in a season-best 19.95. Blake ran 20.29 at 2022 worlds but was eliminated in the semifinals.
19.95s!!! 🔥
Personal Best ☑️
Jerome Blake 🇨🇦 goes sub-20 for the first time as he wins the Canadian 200m title in 19.95s (1.6) ahead of Aaron Brown 🇨🇦 in 20.08s.
Both go below the world standard and are expected to compete over 200m in Tokyo.
📸 Mundosportimages pic.twitter.com/32iaBSHynB
Heat 4 — 7:36 a.m. ET
Andre De Grasse, who is ranked 22nd in the world in the 200, probably has the most challenging heat of the Canadian trio. The 2021 Olympic champion will face defending world champion Noah Lyles of the United States after the world No. 2 was upstaged by Oblique Seville in Sunday’s 100, earning bronze. World No. 7 Joseph Fahnbulleh, a Liberian-American sprinter, and Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes (No. 25) are also in the nine-man field.
The first three in each heat automatically advance to Thursday’s semifinals, with Friday’s final scheduled for 9:06 a.m. ET.
De Grasse, 30, was sixth in the 2023 world 200 final in 20.14 seconds. His fastest performance this year is 20.23 back on May 4.
WATCH | De Grasse 3rd in men’s 200m at Bislett Games in June:
The Canadian explains the importance of not taking any race for granted.
