Posted: February 23, 2006

Athletics: Canada announces team for 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships

(OTTAWA) – Athletics Canada announced today its team for the 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. The event takes place April 1-2 in Fukuoka, Japan.

Dave Scott-Thomas, Head Coach of Athletics Canada’s World Cross Country team believes this event is very important in the development of middle-distance runners. “One of my motivating factors to be part of this team is since this is the last time there will be a short course race, I view this as the end of an era. Cross country is the seed from which other middle-distance performances grow and the World Cross Country Championships have been a critical component in the development of the National Team Program for the past decade.” Scott-Thomas also sees this event as an opportunity to link the past with the present with the future. “Athletics Canada's strategy to use the meet for team building and a vehicle to build the next generation of elite Canadians has worked fantastically well. The vast majority of our current crop of elite athletes cut their teeth on the WXC stage, where they were able to mix with established names and share in their wisdom. On the flip side, our vets were able to be connected with the up and comers and to feel positive about continuity with the ground they've broken and the lessons they’ve learned.”

Junior men - 8km race
Boorsma, Kyle                        Guelph, ON
Brett, Allan                             Ottawa, ON
Brunsting, Matthew                Stirling, ON
Currie, Cory                            Brantford, ON
Dillon, Marcus                       Toronto, ON
Fleming, Sean                         Regina, SK

Junior women - 6km race
Campbell, Anita                     Abbotsford, BC
Carson, Lindsay                      Cambridge, ON
McBean, Mandy                     Toronto, ON
McKay, Tarah                         St. Clements, ON
Reid, Sheila                            Newmarket, ON
Van Buskirk, Kate                  Brampton, ON

Senior men -  4km short course 
Coolsaet, Reid                        Guelph, ON
Gillis, Eric                              Antigonish, NS
McKenzie, Ryan                     Windsor, ON
Milne, Taylor                         Guelph, ON
Sullivan, Kevin                       Brantford, ON

Senior women -  4km short course
Babcock, Courtney                 Chatham, ON
Douma-Hussar, Carmen          Cambridge, ON
Elmore, Malindi                     Kelowna, BC
Metcalfe, Megan                    Edmonton, ON
Quinn-Smith, Tara                 Toronto, ON

Senior men - 12km long course
Mauricio, Cristiano                Leamington, ON
Murphy, Taylor                      Guelph, ON
Nielsen, James                        Toronto, ON
Osadiuk, Steve                        Nanaimo, BC
Scull, Jeff                               Jordan Station, ON

Senior women - 8km
Kuzyk, Cari                            Vancouver, BC
Smith, Kirsty                          Vancouver, BC
Stallwood, Rebecca                Burlington, ON

Staff
Head Coach - Dave Scott-Thomas
Assistant Coach - Christine Laverty
Physio Therapist - Marilou Lamy
Massage Therapist - Frank Manzo
Team Manager - Thelma Wright
Team Leader - Martin Goulet

Scott-Thomas knows his team will be ready for this competition. “We'll have a number of athletes coming straight from the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne to race, and another group who will arrive from the NACAC Championships in Florida. This will be a race-sharp and hungry group, ready to put team Canada head to head with the best in the world.”

Athletics Canada is the national sport governing body for the sport of track and field including cross-country running and road running. Its purpose is the pursuit of leadership, development and competition that ensures world-level performance in athletics.

Source: Athletics Canada.

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