TORONTO (February 7, 2024) – Athletics Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee have announced that two marathoners – two-time Olympians Malindi Elmore (Kelowna, B.C.) and Cameron Levins (Black Creek, B.C.) – have received early nomination to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Malindi Elmore made her Olympic debut at Athens 2004 in the 1,500 metres. Though she initially retired in 2012, she returned to athletics in 2019 to compete in her first marathon, and qualified for Tokyo 2020 in that distance. She finished ninth to lead the Canadian women’s marathoners in her Olympic return in Tokyo, clocking in with a time of 2:30:59. That was Canada’s second-best Olympic result ever in the women’s marathon.
Elmore secured early nomination for Paris 2024 by achieving the Olympic qualifying standard with a personal best time of 2:23:30 at the Berlin Marathon in September 2023. She is a former Canadian marathon record holder, as well as a World University Games, World Cross Country and Pan American Games bronze medallist.
“I never expected, even as recently as five years ago, that I’d make two more Olympics. My life had moved on, I had moved on from running, as well. To become a three-time Olympian, sounds kind of legit now,” Elmore said. “I’ve learned so much over the last 20 years about training and racing and the work that goes into it, that I feel really quite grateful that I’ve had this opportunity to become the athlete that I hoped I could have been and wanted to be. A lot of people don’t get that opportunity.”
Cameron Levins made his Olympic debut on the track in the 5,000 metres and the 10,000 metres at London 2012. He made his marathon debut in 2018, when he broke Jerome Drayton’s 43-year-old national record, crossing the finish line in Toronto in 2:09:25. Levins’ personal best in the marathon (2:05:36) is both a Canadian record and an Americas record and under the Olympic entry standard of 2:08:10.
Levins finished fourth in the marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships held in Eugene, Oregon, setting what was then a Canadian men’s record time of 2:07:09. He also holds the Canadian half marathon record (1:00:18). Levins is an Olympic and World Championship finalist in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres, a Commonwealth Games bronze medallist (10,000 metres) and NCAA Champion (5,000 metres).
“Anytime I get to put on a Canadian singlet and compete at the Olympics or the World Championships is always really exciting. I live for being able to compete on these big stages and face the very best in the world, and the Olympics is the peak of that,” Levins said. “This one is really special for me, after getting all the experience of these previous Olympics. My wife hasn’t seen me compete live in any of my Olympics yet, and that’s pretty special for her to be able to do that in Paris.”
The Olympic athletics events will take place between Friday, August 2 and Sunday, August 11, 2024. The men’s marathon will run through the streets of Paris on August 10, with the women’s event taking place just hours before the Closing Ceremony on August 11.
Athletics Canada’s final list of nominations will be submitted to the Canadian Olympic Committee closer to the Games, which will run July 24 to August 11 in the French capital. The Bell Olympic and Paralympic Trials, taking place June 26-30 in Montreal, will serve as Canada’s primary team selection competition for track and field events.
Prior to being named to Team Canada, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by all National Sport Organisations.
Team Canada’s up-to-date Paris 2024 Qualification Tracker can be found here.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Caroline Sharp, National Teams Communications Specialist
Athletics Canada
WhatsApp: (613) 323-5605 / Cell: (214) 601-8024
E: Caroline.Sharp@athletics.ca
Tara MacBournie, Program Manager, Sport Communications
Canadian Olympic Committee
C: 647-522-8328
E: tmacbournie@olympic.ca