Canada will have four defending champions enter the fray as it looks ahead to the world athletics championships, which run from Saturday to Sept. 21 in Tokyo.
The Canadian Press looks at five athletes to watch during the championships.
Ethan Katzberg, men’s hammer throw
The 23-year-old from Nanaimo, B.C., set the world on fire at last year’s Paris Olympics when he opened the final with the second-furthest throw in 16 years at 84.12 metres. Katzberg is also the defending world champion, having had his coming-out party in Budapest, Hungary. While Katzberg has consistently shown a championship pedigree, he has seen stiffer competition this year from American Rudy Winkler and Hungarian Bence Halasz. Both have thrown further this season and have defeated Katzberg in competition, Halasz doing so twice.
Camryn Rogers, women’s hammer throw
The 26-year-old Richmond, B.C., native has accomplished just about everything one could in a career outside of a world record. Rogers went from being a three-time NCAA champion to a world champion in 2023 and an Olympic champion last season. She’s won nine of her 10 meets in 2025 and has thrown 78-plus metres twice, something she hadn’t previously accomplished in one calendar year. That includes a new personal best of 78.88 metres to win the Prefontaine Classic on July 5, where she bested a lot of the faces she’ll see in Tokyo.
Marco Arop, men’s 800 metres
Arop has cooled off from a results standpoint since winning all three of the Grand Slam Track 800 races. Although he hasn’t won many meets since, his times have dropped as he readies himself to peak in Tokyo. The men’s 800 is among the most competitive and entertaining events in athletics, with Arop and Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi at the top of the heap. Arop defeated Wanyonyi to win the 2023 world title, with the Kenyan getting the better of the Edmonton native in Paris last year.Â
Pierce LePage, men’s decathlon
The Whitby, Ont., native looked bound for Olympic glory in Paris until a herniated disc cut short his season and ended his chance to chase gold, just a year after winning his first world title. LePage is aiming for his third world championship medal, having also taken silver in 2022. The 29-year-old won the 2023 worlds in Budapest with the sixth-best performance (8,909 points) in history. He’ll look to show that form once again in defending his title.
Sarah Mitton, women’s shot put
Mitton had an Olympics to learn from last year, as she was among a few top-ranked shot putters to fall short of the podium. The 29-year-old from Brooklyn, N.S., has the third-furthest throw of the season at 20.68 metres and has won the majority of her meets. Her biggest competition will be from Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands and Chase Jackson of the United States, who also missed the podium in Paris despite being medal favourites. They will all seek redemption in Tokyo, with Mitton looking to upgrade her 2023 silver to gold.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2025.
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