On Monday, Athletics Canada announced the roster of 11 athletes set to represent Canada at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, from March 21- 23. While the meet will mark some athletes’ Team Canada debut, reigning indoor world champion Sarah Mitton is out to defend her title, while Olympians Lucia Stafford, Christopher Morales Williams and Audrey Leduc will look to continue making their mark on the global stage.
Eight of the 11 team members competed at the Paris Olympics, while seven also represented Canada at last year’s World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. Mitton of Brooklyn, N.S. was the only athlete to medal at last year’s championships, winning gold in the women’s shot put.
“I’m used to being the underdog, but coming in as the defending champion and world leader puts a bit of a target on my back,” Mitton said in a press release. “I am in better throwing form right now than last year in Glasgow, so I think it just helps my confidence heading into Nanjing.”
Mitton will compete on the first day of the championships: March 21.
Three athletes will make their major championship debut for Team Canada in Nanjing: Canadian U Sports standout Sienna MacDonald and Tatiana Aholou of Laval, Que., compete in the women’s 60mH, while Toronto’s Aurora Rynda will make a first-time world indoor appearance in the women’s 800m.
Meet the team
Audrey Leduc (Gatineau, Que.) – 60m
Aurora Rynda (Toronto) – 800m
Christopher Morales Williams (Vaughan, Ont.) – 400m
Kieran Lumb (Vancouver) – 1,500m
Lucia Stafford (Toronto) – 1,500m
Malachi Murray (Edmonton) – 60m
Sade McCreath (Ajax, Ont.) – 60m
Sarah Mitton (Brooklyn, N.S.) – shot put
Sienna MacDonald (Airdrie, Alta.) – 60m hurdles
Simone Plourde (Montreal) – 1,500m
Tatiana Aholou (Laval, Que.) – 60m hurdles
The provisional list:
Three additional athletes have been added to the provisional roster, pending acceptance and race capacity decisions by other countries.
Foster Malleck (London, Ont.) – 1,500m
Norris Spike (Brampton, Ont.) – 60m
Robert Heppenstall (Hamilton) – 800m
Click here for the event schedule for the 2025 World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China.
