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Canadian track and field Olympic qualifying battles

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EDMONTON — Sleep will be hard to come by and stress the norm this week for Canada’s aspiring Olympians in track and field.

How they perform at the Canadian trials in Edmonton will determine whether they make the Summer Games in Rio. Spots are limited, and the competition is fierce, in what promises to be a high-drama event at Foote Field in Edmonton.

Athletics Canada head coach Peter Eriksson says coping with the magnitude of the moment is vital for anyone who hopes to reach the Olympic podium.

“You have to learn to live with the pressure and learn to compete under those conditions,” Eriksson says. “Because that’s what is going to happen when you get to the Games. Just getting to the Games doesn’t give you anything. You have to perform, and there’s a lot of pressure to perform.”

With the pressure mounting, here are five battles to watch a the trails get underway Thursday and run through Sunday in the Alberta capital:

MEN’S 100 METRES

Hands up if you recognize the name Aaron Brown. If you don’t, that will undoubtedly change this summer as the Toronto native heads into Canadian trials as the top-ranked sprinter in the country with a time of 9.96 seconds. That puts him ahead (for now) of burgeoning superstar Andre De Grasse, who set a personal best of 9.92 seconds last year en route to winning bronze at the 2015 world championships. De Grasse, 21, has yet to run under 10 seconds in the 2016 season, but is aiming to peak in Rio. Regardless, with Brown and De Grasse in the mix, Canada has two legitimate podium contenders for Rio in the 100 and 200 metres and two certified speedsters for the 4x100 metre relay. Decathlete Damien Warner is ranked No. 3 for Canada over 100 metres in 2016 with a time of 10.15 seconds. Calgary’s Akeem Haynes is also one to watch with a season-best time of 10.13 seconds. The marquee event of the trials is scheduled for Saturday night.

WOMEN’S 1,500 METRES

Given the rampant cheating in this event at the London Olympics, Hilary Stellingwerff and Nicole Sifuentes will never know exactly where they might have ranked four years ago had there been a level playing field. Rio represents another shot for the two Canadian middle-distance stalwarts to compete in what they hope is a clean race. First, however, is what’s shaping up to be an intense qualification battle. Four Canadian runners — Sheila Reid, University of Toronto sensation Gabriela Stafford, Stellingwerff and Sifuentes — have reached the qualifying standard. Canada can send a maximum of three women to Rio, so heartbreak is guaranteed after Saturday’s final.

MEN’S HIGH JUMP

Derek Drouin, of Sarnia, Ont., is the reigning world champion, but Canada has another legitimate contender in Michael Mason, of Nanoose Bay, B.C. Mason, 29, finished eighth at the 2012 London Olympics, and he’s heading into trials with a qualifying height of 2.33 metres. Drouin, 26, took some time off after the world championships and has battled injuries, but he’s aiming to round into peak form with Rio around the corner. In what promises to be one of the highlights of the trials, Drouin vs. Mason is set for Saturday night.

WOMEN’S 3,000-METRE STEEPLECHASE

Canada is not exactly known as a force in steeplechase. In fact, Canada has not won a medal in the crash-filled event — which involves clearing 28 hurdles and seven water jumps — since 1900. This time around, six Canadian women have reached the Olympic standard. In such a deep field, it all comes down to the race Friday night at Foote Field. Genevieve Lalonde, of Moncton, NB, set a new Canadian record of nine minutes, 32.17 seconds in May, and she is a legitimate contender to make the final in Rio. But to book her ticket, she needs to finish in the top two or perhaps three of a field that includes Alycia Butterworth of Parksville, B.C., Maria Bernard of Calgary, Erin Teschuk of Winnipeg, Regan Yee of South Hazelton, B.C,, and Jessica Furlan of Regina. “There will be minimum three of them crying, because we can only come with three in each event,” Eriksson says.

WOMEN’S POLE VAULT

In what promises to be a hotly contested battle, Canadian record holder Alysha Newman, Anicka Newell, Melanie Blouin and Kelsie Ahbe are names to watch in Sunday’s final, with a maximum of three women being named to the Rio team next Monday. The fact so many women are in the mix speaks volumes about the future of the sport in Canada, says Shawn Barber, Canada’s reigning men’s world champion. “You can see it with how many girls in Canada hit the ‘A’ standard for women’s pole vault,” Barber says. “I think, especially in Canada, the sport is really growing.”

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