Mohammed Ahmed, Andrea Seccafien book tickets to Rio while Levins falters at Canadian Olympic trials

By Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press

When the bell rang to signal the final lap, Mo Ahmed kicked into another gear, while Cam Levins faded badly.

Happiness and heartbreak on the first day of the Canadian Olympic track and field trials.

Ahmed, from St. Catharines, Ont., won the men's 5,000 metres to secure his spot in the Rio Oympics, while Levins of Black Creek, B.C. — Canada's top distance runner for several years — finished seventh, casting doubt on his Olympic hopes.

"It felt good, it's been the goal ever since I stepped off the track in London [2012 Olympics]," Ahmed said. "I said 'I want to be back here, and I want to mix it up with the best, I don't want to be at the back of the pack anymore."'

Ahmed ran 14 minutes 00.92 seconds, taking the lead with two laps to go at Foote Field. Lucas Bruchet of Vancouver was second in 14:02.368, to earn his Olympic berth.

The 25-year-old Ahmed is on a blistering pace this season. At the Prefontaine Classic in late May, he broke the Canadian record with a gutsy run, taking the lead on the bell lap en route to finish third in 13:01.74.

"Prefontaine was a good indicator of things to come. I was still in heavy training during that time, that was a big shock to my coach, to myself," Ahmed said.

'I'll be sad to miss the Olympics'

Canada can field three athletes in each event in Rio, provided they've run the Olympic standard. Levins has run the standard, but wasn't hopeful after his race, saying an ankle injury has derailed his season.

"That wasn't very good," Levins said. "I'll be sad to miss the Olympics. . . I'm assuming at this point."

Levins made the Olympic finals in London in both the 5,000 and 10,000 metres, and is the Canadian record-holder in the 10,000.

"Maybe they'll select me for the 10K, because I have a fast time from last year, but I'm not too hopeful about it," Levins said. "That was a pretty poor."

Levins injured an ankle when he fell at last year's Canadian championships, and it's hampered his training all season long.

But while he said Thursday's result didn't come as a surprise, it was still a huge disappointment.

"Every athlete, every four-year cycle, this is when they want to run their best, and I've won the last four years and this is the year I run poorly," Levins said. "Kind of not the year you want it to happen."

Seccafien going to Rio 

Andrea Seccafien of Guelph, Ont., meanwhile, won the women's 5,000 metres to secure her spot on the team.

Sasha Golish was second, but hasn't run the qualifying standard, meaning the second and third spots will go to Jessica O'Connell of Calgary, who was third, and Rachel Cliff of Vancouver (fourth).

Less than a second separated the top three, with Seccafien crossing in 16:00.41 for the victory.

Earning a spot on the team was "surreal," she said, coming in a season that has seen her time plummet a whopping 35 seconds.

She also sat out all of last season with a heel injury, which looking back now, was perhaps a blessing in disguise.

"I just can appreciate racing so much more, I didn't race at all last year," she said. "You just kind of realize how much it means to you when you have it taken away for an entire year.

"It also gave the opportunity to work on strength and my form. I'm a much more powerful runner."

Earlier Thursday, Michelle Stilwell, a four-time Paralympic gold medallist, won the wheelchair 100 metres, while Austin Smeenk won the men's event.

Because the Paralympic team is based on quota positions, and not top three in each event, the athletes will have to wait until Monday's team announcement to know if they're headed to Rio.