Canada’s 4x400 relay teams both advanced to finals at 2025 FISU Summer Games

Thomas Laviolette (Mascouche, QC / University de Montreal) finished ninth overall, as did Daxx Turner (Neepawa, MB / University of Manitoba) and Canada’s 4x400 relay teams both advanced to the finals to highlight Saturday action in athletics.  

Additionally, in the women’s 5000m final, Elise Coates (Nanaimo, BC / University of Victoria) finished with a personal best in a time of 16:13.85, 12th overall in a field that originally began with 28 athletes in qualification.  

In the men’s 5000m final, Laviolette kept with the lead pack and made a huge kick in the final lap, finishing with a strong time of 15:04.32, ninth in the world in a field that originally started with 36 in qualification. 

In triple jump, Turner fell one spot shy of the top eight and three more opportunities to go for gold. His best attempt of the three he took was his last, where he reached 15.68m. It was a strong showing for Turner regardless, who was competing in the event with a broken pinky toe.  

Canada’s 4x400 relay teams were on fire during the afternoon, qualifying for tomorrow’s final.   

On the women’s side, the quartet of Paige Willems (Warman, SK / University of Saskatchewan), Shelby MacIsaac (Riverview, NB / University of New Brunswick), Tyra Boug (Kitchener, ON / Western University) and Favour Okpali (Toronto, ON / Western University) won their heat, and were third-fastest in the qualifying round overall. Willems got Canada into a top two position, and they stayed there the whole race, with Okpali out-running the competition from New Zealand in the final metres for first.  

Meanwhile, in the men’s relay, the team of Keshawn Igbinosun (Toronto, ON / Brock University), Benjamin Tilson (Windsor ON / University of Windsor), David Moulongou (Ottawa, ON / University of Ottawa), and Joshua Duckman (Toronto, ON / Western University) surged to a third-place finish in their heat, three seconds ahead of Belgium.

To wrap up the morning session, Chelsea MacIsaac – the Dalhousie Tigers school record holder in the weight throw and U SPORTS silver medalist in the shot put – had a top throw of 56.29m in women’s hammer.

To start the morning, Miles Brackenbury (Kingston, ON / Queen’s University) ran a personal best, placing 32ndoverall in the half marathon in a time of 1:08.32, eight places up from his seeding in the 48-man race.  

In the 4x100 relays, both Canada’s men’s and women’s teams finished just outside of finals qualification. Vivian Ogor (Waterloo, ON / Western University), Georgia Oland (Calgary, AB / University of Calgary), Emma Parnetta (Calgary, AB / University of Calgary) and Hannah Hagerty (Regina, SK / University of Saskatchewan) finished in a time of 45.24 seconds, while the men’s team of Niko Dowhos (Thunder Bay, ON / Lakehead University), Travis Campbell (Milton, ON / Guelph University), Jordan Soufi (Winnipeg, MB / University of Manitoba) and Rui Ramsay (Calgary, AB / Trinity Western University) finished in 39.95 seconds.  

In the evening session, Alex Purnell (Dundas, ON / McMaster University) had a strong showing in the men’s 800m semi0-finals. He kept with the lead pack into the final 100 metres, passing the line in 1:49.63, just outside a finals qualification spot in fifth.  

The day was concluded by decathletes Jake Neufeld (Saskatoon, SK / University of Saskatchewan) and Emanuel Desilets (Laval, QC / Western University), who continued their momentum from yesterday, finishing 13th and 15th overall.  

Neufeld hit a personal best in the javelin at 48.46m and the 1500m at 4:47.21, and a season’s best in the 110m hurdles, at 16.20 seconds. He was also second in his group in pole vault, at 4.50m. Desilets hit a personal best in the 1500m, reaching the line in 4:50.78, and he finished second in group A in the hurdles, at 15.64 seconds and fourth in pole vault, reaching 4.40m. The duo also competed in discus.

Canada wraps up competition tomorrow with the 4x400 relays. The women’s final goes at 11:25 am while the met compete at 11:40 am.