We are just a week away from the start of the athletics program at the 2024 Paris Olympics. While many are familiar with the big names on Team Canada, such as Marco Arop, Andre De Grasse and Sarah Mitton, several athletes making their debut could become household names by the end of the Games.
In Rio 2016, De Grasse sprinted to superstardom in his Olympic debut, winning medals for Canada in the men’s 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay. Eight years later, he is Canada’s most decorated male Olympian (with six medals) and the flag bearer for the opening ceremony. While De Grasse continues to shine, Team Canada’s next track and field star could emerge from any of the 50 other members. Here are five athletes poised to make an impact in their Olympic debut.
Jazz Shukla (Women’s 800m)
Shukla is an athlete with tremendous talent and potential, but has been limited in her international racing experience. She’s dominated the North American circuit this season, winning five of her seven races. Her fastest time of the season came last month at the Canadian Olympic Trials, where she ran a stunning 1:58.20 (solo), making her the second-fastest Canadian woman in history, just behind Melissa Bishop-Nriagu’s Canadian record of 1:57.01.
Shukla made her world championship debut in Budapest last year, where she ran personal best times in both the heats and semi-finals, narrowly missing out on the final. This season, she has been racing with more confidence, positioning herself well as a contender for a spot in the women’s 800m final on Aug. 5. With reigning Olympic champion Athing Mu not qualifying for Team USA, the podium has opened up for the rest of the women’s 800m field—and why not Shukla? Her 800m campaign begins on Friday, Aug. 2.
Duan Asemota (Men’s 100m/ 4x100m relay)
If you asked Asemota where he’d be at this point last year, he might not have believed he’d be at the Paris Olympics in the men’s 100m. The Ajax, Ont. native quit his job earlier this year to pursue his Olympic sprint ambitions, and it has paid off. Asemota has lowered his 100m best by a tenth of a second to make the Canadian team and has run sub-10.10 seconds in five of his ten races. Although he’ll need to be consistent (and most likely run a personal best) to get himself into the men’s 100m final, he has continued to surprise the Canadian track and field world so far—could Asemota continue to do so on the world’s biggest stage?
Like De Grasse, Asemota is also a product of former Olympic sprinter and acclaimed coach Tony Sharpe. He is currently coached by former 110m hurdles Olympic finalist Charles Allen. Asemota will make his Olympic debut on Saturday, Aug. 3, in the men’s 100m heats alongside his teammates De Grasse and Aaron Brown.
Ceili McCabe (Women’s 3,000m steeplechase)
McCabe is Canada’s top female distance runner right now. She has gone undefeated in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase this year, beating former world champion Norah Jeruto at the L.A. Grand Prix in May with a new Canadian record time of 9:20.58. She put on a show at last year’s Canadian XC Championships in Ottawa, winning by nearly a minute over a strong women’s field. In Budapest last year, she missed the steeplechase final by one spot and said she’s been using that fire as motivation to prep for Paris.
Only 22, McCabe comes into Paris as a veteran, having competed for Team Canada at two major championships. McCabe is a gritty runner who tends to race with a chip on her shoulder and isn’t afraid to mix it up with the East Africans, who have dominated this event at the last two Olympic Games (winning four of the six medals). The 3,000m steeplechase heats will take place on Sunday, Aug. 4.
Savannah Sutherland (Women’s 400m hurdles/4x400m relay)
Sutherland, the pride of Borden, Sask., has become a household name in her hometown and with the University of Michigan in the NCAA, setting school and conference records. Soon, Sutherland will put her potential on display for the entire country in the women’s 400m hurdles. In June, Sutherland broke the Canadian record in the one-lap hurdles event, previously held by Sage Walker (nee’ Watson), with a 53.25-second performance at the 2024 NCAA Championships.
The 20-year-old has not yet raced against either Femke Bol or Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in her career, but she might be able to chase down another national record if either of them are in her semi-final. With gold and silver likely locked up by two of the greatest 400m hurdlers in history, the door is wide open for bronze. This being Sutherland’s first Olympics, she has nothing to lose and comes into the 400m hurdles field as an underdog, despite being the seventh-fastest woman in the world this year. Sutherland’s path to the 400m hurdles final begins in the heats on Sunday, Aug. 4.
Audrey Leduc (women’s 100m/200m/4x100m relay)
Leduc’s 2024 season has been a dream come true. The Canadian U Sports Women’s Athlete of the Year winner started 2024 with Olympic aspirations and has since set new Canadian records in the 100m and 200m on the way to her first Games. She also helped Canada secure an Olympic berth in the 4x100m relay after Canada did not send a team to Tokyo 2020.
Most of Leduc’s best races this season have come against faster competition, and she has shown she can run with the world’s best over 100m and 200m. One thing that will be an asset for her in Paris, is her consistency. She has recorded sub-11.10 clockings in the women’s 100m in five of her eight races and has been undefeated over 200m. With her long stride, Leduc’s medal hopes fare better over the 200m than the 100m, where there is less depth. Like many other Canadian up-and-coming debutants (mentioned in this article), Leduc comes in as a real underdog with a lot of potential to pull off something special and continue her storybook season.
Her Olympic campaign will begin in the women’s 100m heats on Friday, Aug. 2.
