On a snowy afternoon at Fanshawe Golf Club in London, Ont., 16-year-old Athena Andrecyk delivered a historic performance to win the women’s U20 8K at the 2024 Canadian Cross Country Championships. She is the youngest athlete to win the Canadian U20 title in a decade.
Andrecyk came out on top in 29:02, competing against runners two to three years older. She finished 20 seconds ahead of Nova Scotia’s Abby Lewis and Calgary’s Charlotte Sinke. When asked in a post-race interview if the win surprised her, Andrecyk told Canadian Running that she felt strong after the first lap and grew confident she could maintain her lead.
The U20 Canadian title capped a stellar fall season for Andrecyk, who won the Ontario high school championships (OFSAA) last month in Ottawa as a Grade 11 student. “It feels amazing to end my 2024 season on a high note,” she shared.
Andrecyk will now take some well-earned downtime before preparing for the Ontario high school track season in the spring. Looking ahead, she says her long-term goal is to compete at the NCAA collegiate level in the fall of 2026.
Mulugeta storms to men’s U20 title
Yemane Mulugeta, one of Canada’s brightest young distance running talents, won the men’s U20 8K title at the Canadian Cross Country Championships.
The 19-year-old from Surrey, B.C. displayed tactical intelligence, playing a game of cat and mouse with Quebec’s Xavier Perras-Phaneuf, who led for the first four kilometres. Mulugeta reeled him in with one lap to go, then surged ahead to secure the junior men’s crown in 24:42.
Perras-Phaneuf held on for second in 24:56, while Kingston’s Angus Skinner rounded out the podium with a bronze-medal finish in 25:10.
For full results from the 2024 Canadian Cross Country Championships, click here.
