Richmond hammer throw standout Camryn Rogers is among 32 athletes named by Athletics Canada today to represent their country at the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships taking place from July 10-15 in Tampere, Finland.
The Kajaks Track and Field member is coming off an outstanding freshman season at University of Cal-Berkeley where she twice broke the school record and finished third at the Pac-12 Championships. She is the reigning Pan American U20 champion and will head to Finland ranked third in the world.
The Canadian team will feature 11 athletes who produced a combined 12 individual medals (five gold, five silver and two bronze) at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games and 2017 Pan American U20 Athletics Championships, in addition to several athletes who had breakout season’s climbing the Canadian and World rankings.
“The IAAF World U20 Championships have proven to be an integral stepping stone for Canadian athletes to pursue their goals of qualifying, competing and medalling at World Championships and Olympic Games,” said head coach Joel Skinner. “Those who achieve personal bests, a spot in the Top 8 or a podium finish in Tampere are most likely to go on to achieve success at the senior level internationally.”
With this talented group, Canada is looking to increase its medal haul from 2016 (two bronze), finish the meet with a top 10 ranking and see a record number of athletes compete in finals producing top 8 finishes. However, Skinner, alongside his team of experienced coaches and managers, hopes the athletes will embrace the experience so they are better prepared for what’s ahead.
“Our goal is to promote and develop a winning culture, but we also realize that it’s important for athletes to gain a certain comfort level when it comes to training, competing and performing at the highest level. We want them to take in the experience so they get a better understanding of what’s required to perform at the elite level, now and down the road.”
