As 2024 draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the Canadian athletes who amazed the nation with their exceptional performances. From indoor and outdoor track to cross country, road races and marathons–Team Canada’s future shines brightly. Here are the top 10 Canadian achievements that left a lasting impact on athletics this year.
10. Natasha Wodak wins Canadian marathon title
For the first time since making her debut 13 years ago, Canadian marathon record holder Natasha Wodak returned to the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October and successfully chased her first Canadian title in the marathon. The 42-year-old clocked 2:27:54, her fastest time since setting the national record in 2022.
9. Jazz Shukla solos the 800m Olympic standard
Toronto’s Jazz Shukla put on easily the most exciting performance of the Canadian Olympic trials in June. In a solo effort, the 26-year-old shot to her second sub-two-minute run of the season in the 800m final, clinching the Olympic standard in the process. Her time of 1:58.20 makes her the second-fastest Canadian woman ever.
8. Philippe Morneau-Cartier wins back-to-back U Sports XC titles
In his second consecutive undefeated collegiate season, Quebec’s Philippe Morneau-Cartier successfully defended his U Sports cross-country title at November’s U Sports XC Championships in Kelowna, B.C. The 23-year-old exuded confidence as he pulled off the impressive feat, winning by six seconds after leading a surge in pace that only one other athlete could respond to.
7. Ceili McCabe beats world champion to break Canadian 3,000m steeplechase record
At the Los Angeles Grand Prix in May, Vancouver’s Ceili McCabe hurtled to 9:20.58 in the 3,000m steeplechase–demolishing Geneviève Lalonde‘s Canadian record and soaring past the Olympic standard of 9:23.00. In the process, 22-year-old McCabe defeated the 2022 world champion, Norah Jeruto.
6. Rachel Forsyth claims world U20 silver
In August, 18-year-old Rachel Forsyth became the first Canadian woman in history to medal in the 1,500m at a world junior championship event. The rising star clocked 4:17.94 to clinch the silver-medal spot at the U20 World Championships in Lima, Peru. Forsyth is now in her first year at Michigan State University, where she opened her NCAA track season with a Canadian U20 3,000m record.
5. Audrey Leduc sprints to double Canadian records
Quebec’s Audrey Leduc achieved two Olympic standards and stamped her name in the Canadian record books twice in one season. The 25-year-old first broke Angela Bailey’s 36-year-old 100m record in April, running 10.96; she further improved that time to 10.95 at her Olympic debut in Paris. Leduc also claimed the 200m record with a 22.36 run in Atlanta in June.
4. Savannah Sutherland reaches 400m hurdles final in Olympic debut
Making a final at your Olympic debut is practically unheard of, yet Savannah Sutherland accomplished the feat at just 20. The Borden, Sask., native went on to run alongside Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in the fastest 400m hurdle race in history. Earlier in the season, Sutherland took silver at the NCAA championships, breaking the Canadian record twice in the process.
3. Christopher Morales Williams bests indoor 400m world record
Vaughan, Ont.’s Christopher Morales Williams emerged this season as one of Canada’s biggest rising stars. The 20-year-old punched his ticket to Paris in February with a world record-breaking indoor 400m time of 44.49. (The record was not ratified due to an issue with the starting blocks.) Morales Williams also became the first Canadian to win indoor and outdoor NCAA titles in the event in the same year.
2. Marco Arop takes Olympic 800m silver
Edmonton’s middle-distance star, Marco Arop, continued to make the nation proud this year; the 26-year-old surged to a massive personal best in the 800m Olympic final, clocking 1:41.20 to clinch the silver medal and setting a new North American record. He is the first Canadian to medal in an Olympic 800m since 1964. In September, Arop also took down the 1,000m North American record in 2:13:13.
1. Men’s 4x100m relay Olympic gold
In the headliner event in Paris, the Canadian men’s 4 x 100m relay team achieved a lifelong dream: Olympic gold. The quartet of Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake, Brendon Rodney and Andre De Grasse executed their race flawlessly, running 37.50 seconds to climb to the top of the podium for the first time in 28 years.
Honourable mentions
Here are just a few of the other outstanding performances from 2024 that we simply can’t overlook.
We can hardly wait to see what 2025 brings!
