Canada's Aaron Brown among stars looking for redemption at track and field worlds
Newman, De Grasse also hope to reach podium in Doha
Canada's top track and field athletes are descending on Doha, Qatar this week in search of redemption.
After leaving the 2017 IAAF track and field world championships in London empty handed, sprinters Aaron Brown, Andre De Grasse and pole vaulter Alysha Newman are excited for the chance to reach the podium this time around.
And they all hope the momentum they built during successful Diamond League seasons will carry over as competition gets underway Friday.
Brown is also bolstered by entering competition as the national champion in the men's 100 and 200 metres.
"It means a lot because I know I'm representing Canada at the highest level," Brown told CBC Sports' Scott Russell. "To go in there with the title of Canada's fastest man and winning the Canadian championship, that gives me a lot of confidence going into a world stage like this."
WATCH | Brown on his confidence level heading into the world championships:
The 27-year-old from Toronto ran a personal best 19.95 seconds in the 200 at Lausanne, Switzerland in July.
"I know I can challenge further times and I can get faster times than 19.9," Brown said. "So it's just about executing on the day, just being the best version of yourself and making sure you've done everything you do in practice. And bring it to the world stage, let the world see it."
Newman, 25, of London, Ont., also reached new heights this season, securing a national record in women's pole vault with a 4.82-metre jump in Paris last month.
WATCH | Alysha Newman: 'I'm ready to come out with a medal':
"I'm really excited. I mean 4.82 was definitely the goal, but that was the goal for last year," Newman said. "So I feel like I just conquered last year's goal. So I know there's another bar under my belt. I'm ready to jump high. I'm ready to come out with a medal."
De Grasse, who broke out at the Rio Olympics in 2016 with three medals, has experienced ups and downs this season. But after switching coaches in December, De Grasse feels like he is easing back into form.
WATCH | Andre De Grasse: 'I'm back, I'm healthy':
"I think change is good sometimes. When things weren't going right, I try to just do something new," the 24-year-old said of working with Rana Reider. "So far it's been going good. The season has been going great with my new coach and new environment. So I'm pretty happy about it and I'm running back to quick times [like] when I was running in 2016."
De Grasse strained his right hamstring during a training run days before the start of the 2017 worlds. So the two-time 2015 medallist seems especially motivated this year.
"I'm back. I'm healthy. I'm feeling pretty good. I'm looking forward to my second world championship. So I'm looking to have some great success here and try to get back on the podium."
CBC Sports has exclusive live coverage of the 2019 World Track & Field Championships from Sept. 27-Oct. 6. View the stream and broadcast schedule here. To add the complete event schedule to your calendar, click here.