BC Goes the Distance
BC is also represented in both the men's and women's marathons by Cam Levins and Malindi Elmore. Elmore, from Kelowna, made her Olympic debut in 2004 in the 1500m. After taking time away from elite competition, the UBC Okanagan coach returned to running with the marathon and held the Canadian record. At the Tokyo Olympics, she achieved Canada's best Women's Marathon result with a 9th place finish.
Levins is the current Canadian record holder in the half marathon and the North American record holder in the marathon with a time of 2:05.36. The athlete from Black Creek and Courtenay also competed in the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics.
Other distance runners at the Paris Olympics include representatives in the Women's 5000m and 3000m Steeplechase events. Brianna Scott's athletic career began in volleyball, where she competed for McGill University. Born in Vancouver, Scott became the 2023 Canadian Champion over 5000m just about a year after welcoming her first child.
Ceili McCabe is the national record holder in the 3000m Steeplechase, a record the Vancouver native set just this year. McCabe has represented Canada in the previous two World Championships, and won bronze at the NCAA Championships in the event twice competing with West Virginia University.
Regan Yee of South Hazelton will compete in both the 5000m and the 3000m Steeplechase in Paris. Yee competed in the Tokyo Olympics in the Steeplechase, as well as the previous 3 World Championships. Yee competed for Trinity Western University collegiately, and runs for Under Armour as a professional. She is the most decorated individual track and field athlete in Trinity Western track and field history.
Kieran Lumb of Vancouver represents BC in the middle distances, as he will contest the 1500m. Before becoming a professional runner for On, Lumb represented UBC where he won the NAIA 5000m title in 2019. He finished his collegiate career running for the University of Washington. He holds the Canadian record for the road mile with a 3:56 performance.
BC Sprints for Gold
Canada has historically done very well on the world stage in the Men's 4x100m and the Women's 4x400m races, and BC is sending two athletes to join the strong squads. Jasneet Nijjar makes her Olympics debut while Jerome Blake returns for his 2nd Olympics. Nijjar, from Surrey, had a breakout 2024 season and ran a personal best of 51.84 over 400m at the Canadian Olympic Trials in June. Currently competing for Washington State University, she holds 6 school records (individual and relay).
Blake hails from Burnaby and Kelowna, and will be in the hunt for the gold with the Men's 4x100m team. Blake's 8.86 split on the second leg was critical to the Canadian victory at the World Championships in 2022, and will look to help the team upgrade their silver medal from Tokyo.
Please join Milesplit BC in supporting our BC athletes at Paris 2024! From Milesplit BC: Go Team BC! Go Team Canada!