At just 16, Charli Mlotshwa has made himself a name to watch in Canadian distance running. The Nanaimo, B.C., teenager has taken the provincial running scene by storm, and this Sunday, he will chase a national junior title at the 2024 Canadian Cross Country Championships in London, Ont. Competing in the men’s U20 8K, Mlotshwa will face runners up to three years his senior, but that doesn’t scare him.
Though Mlotshwa may just be learning to drive, his running career has been accelerating at an impressive pace. Since moving to Canada from Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, three years ago, his progress has been meteoric. In October, he won the B.C. High School XC Championships, then stepped up weeks later to claim the B.C. U20 XC title, announcing himself as one of the best young runners in the country.
Continuing with our 15 year old U16 Cross Country Runner of the Year award, we have our male nominees! Thank you to @LegionBCYukon!
Congratulations and good luck to your finalists:
🎉 – Charli Mlotshwa
🎉 – Bernardo Sada
🎉 – Peter Kunkahttps://t.co/vnwKCHpxle pic.twitter.com/Y2jQAIJDtj— BC Athletics (@BC_Athletics) January 13, 2023
Despite his recent success, Mlotshwa says he still feels like an underdog, running against Canada’s best U20 talent two to three years older. If Mlotshwa were to win, it would be his second Canadian U20 title. At the 2024 Canadian Track and Field Championships, in July, Mlotshwa surprised himself by winning the Canadian U20 3,000m race, beating his rival, Yemane Mulugeta of Surrey, B.C., for the title. “Mulugeta is someone I’ve always looked up to,” Mlotshwa says. “That win really showed me what I’m capable of.”
Mlotshwa’s running career began in South Africa, where he ran for fun. But his life took a dramatic turn when he and his family immigrated to Canada on Christmas Eve three years ago, seeking safety and opportunity.
“South Africa is a dangerous place, and my parents wanted a better future for us,” he explains. While adjusting to life in Nanaimo, Mlotshwa found it difficult to adapt to the colder climate, and to make friends. That changed when his church connected him with Bruce Deacon, a two-time Olympian and coach with the Prairie Inn Harriers on Vancouver Island.
“Bruce is full of wisdom, and feels like my second father,” says Mlotshwa on his relationship with Deacon. “He cares about more than running.”
Under Deacon’s guidance, Mlotshwa began training seriously, and the results were immediate. Just months into his training, he ran a blistering 33:30 10K at 14, stunning the Vancouver Island running scene. By the end of his first competitive year, he had won the B.C. High School XC Championship, a feat he has now repeated.
Mlotshwa’s hard work and talent have earned him a scholarship to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where he’ll join their cross-country program in the fall of 2025. Long term, his sights are set on representing Canada at the 2028 L.A. Olympics.
One of Mlotshwa’s inspirations is his teammate, Daniel Zewdu, an Ethiopian refugee who also came to Canada to escape conflict, and who now also trains under Deacon. “Daniel has taught me a lot about myself,” says Mlotshwa. “He has so much experience, and I look up to him.”
Deacon, who has coached Mlotshwa since he arrived in Canada, is equally full of praise. “Charli is the hardest-working teenage athlete I’ve ever coached,” he says. “He’s got a huge aerobic engine and great leg speed. He can run from the front, surge mid-race, or kick it out at the end.”
The two-time Olympic marathoner believes that Mlotshwa has a lot of potential in the 10,000m or the marathon, but believes it’s important to keep developing his speed and foundation while he’s young.
As Mlotshwa heads into the Canadian Cross Country Championships, he’s ready to test himself against the nation’s best. “Winning another junior title would mean a lot,” he says. “But I’m also excited to keep learning and growing as a runner.”
How to watch
The men’s U20 8K at the 2024 Canadian XC Championships will be one of four races taking place on Sunday. All action from Fanshawe Golf Course in London, Ont., can be streamed on Athletics Canada TV or via Runnerspace+plus, starting at 11 a.m. ET. You can view the full start list for the men’s and women’s fields, here.Â
