MONTREAL –
Donna Ntambue, an all-star sprinter with the McGill University women's track and field team, has been selected by Athletics Canada to compete at the upcoming World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China, May 10-11. The event is a major milepost on the road to the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo next September.
This marks the second consecutive year that
Ntambue was picked to represent Canada at the World Relays, which were held in the Bahamas last year. The 23-year-old Hispanic Studies and Economic senior from Montreal-North is the McGill record holder in the 60-
metres, which she set in 7.32 seconds at the McGill Team Challenge in 2024. This past season, the 5-foot-9 sprinter just missed that mark by fractions with a bronze-medal time of 7.34 at the U SPORTS national championships in Windsor, Ont. She also helped the 4x200 relay squad set a McGill record (1:41.18). Ntambue was a national finalist in the 100m at the 2024 Canadian Olympic Trials for the Paris Summer Games.
"We've got a really good group. A lot of the less experienced athletes coming in certainly have a good group around them to help them progress and learn from the ones that have done it time and time again," said national team head coach
Glenroy Gilbert, in an Athletics Canada press release. "We can't get ahead of ourselves. Even though last year we had a great showing, we're looking for the exact same thing here."
The top 14 teams in each of the men's and women's 4x100 and 4x400, plus the mixed 4x400 relay, will secure their place at Tokyo '25. The remaining two places in each event will be awarded based on top lists during the qualification period, which ends August 24, 2025.
At the World Relays last year, Canada won silver in the men's 4x100 and bronze in the women's 4x400, with both squads later qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Ntambue is among 15 women named to Canada's 26-member roster for Guangzhou. The others include Aaron
Brown, Andre
De Grasse, Brendon
Rodney, Duan
Asemota, Eliezer
Adjibi, Jerome
Blake, Malachi
Murray, Norris
Spike, Audrey
Leduc, Catherine
Leger, Gabrielle
Cole, Jacqueline
Madogo,
Marie-Éloïse Leclair, Sade
McCreath, Austin
Cole, Christopher
Morales-Williams, Nathan
George, Alyssa
Marsh, Dianna
Proctor, Jasneet
Nijjar, Kyra
Constantine, Lauren
Gale, Madeline
Price, Micha
Powell and Zoe
Sherar.
On the first day at the World Relays in China, the top two teams in each of the four heats will advance to the final on Day 2, while also securing their qualification for the Worlds. In the finals on Day 2, teams will compete for prize money and obtain preferential World Championships lane seeding positions.
All other teams will compete on Day 2 in the additional round where the top two teams in each of the three heats will also qualify for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-983-7012 (cell.)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
