2015 IPC world championships: 10 athletes to watch

The Parapan Am Games this past summer gave Canadians a great opportunity to see how strong the country's para track and field athletes are in their disciplines. Canada won 43 medals in Toronto.

Team Canada looks to build on the momentum from its recent success as the athletes head to the 2015 IPC world championships Oct. 22 to 31 in Doha, Qatar.  

Expect the competition to be much stiffer at the world championships. Here is an overview of some of the top athletes to watch as CBC Sports' live online coverage begins with Day 1 action on Thursday morning at 2:15 a.m. ET.

Brent Lakatos (Dorval, Que.)

​A racer in the T53 classification (wheelchair - lower number indicates a higher activity limitation), Lakatos is a three-time silver medallist at the 2012 Summer Paralympics and also a three-time gold medallist at the 2013 world championships in the 100, 200 and 400 metres. He will be looking to defend his crown in Doha.

Jennifer Brown (Calgary, Alta.)

In the F38 classification (limited ability to control legs), Brown had great success this past summer at the Parapan Am Games where she was a gold medallist in the shot put and a silver medallist in the discus.

Renée Foessel (Mississauga, Ont.)

Same classification as Brown, they swapped places at the Parapan Am Games this past summer in the shot put and the discus, winning the silver in the shot put and gold in the discus. They will look to push each other at the world championships.

Alex Dupont (Hemmingford, Que.)

Dupont was a triple gold medallist in the 2015 Parapan Am Games, where he won medals in the 400, 800 and the 1,500 metres. He will have plenty of opportunities to come home with a medal from the world championships.

Kyle Whitehouse (London, Ont.)

He has the Canadian record in the 100 and 200 metres in the T38 sprinter classification (better trunk control; compete standing), and came home with a silver medal at the Parapan Am Games. He will look to lower his Canadian record and win a medal amongst the world's best.

Here's are some world athletes you can't miss:

Tatyana McFadden (United States)

McFadden is dominant in a whole spectrum of events ranging from the wheelchair 100 metres all the way through to the 5,000 in the T54 class. With 10 Paralympic medals and 12 world championship medals to her name, she is looking to defend her titles in the 100, 200, 400, 800, 1,500 and 5,000 metres.

Manuela Schär (Switzerland)

​A three-time Paralympic medallist as well as a six-time world championship medallist, Schar is looking to defend her gold medal in the marathon. She is fresh off of her European championship titles in the 400, 800 and the 1500 metres.

Hannah Cockroft (Great Britain)

Crockroft is the world-record holder wheelchair racer in the 100 and 200 metres in the T34 classification. After winning the 2012 Summer Paralympics and the 2013 world championships in those respective events, she is the person to beat.

Jarryd Wallace (United States)

He's the 100 metre world record holder, and blew everybody away as he set the mark at the Parapan Am Games. He will be looking to lower his record in Doha.

Terezinha Guilhermina (Brazil)

A visually impaired sprinter in the T11 classification (11, 12, 13 allocated to visually impaired), Guilhermina ran away with gold in the 100 and 200 metres at the 2012 Paralympics, and then followed it up with gold medals at the world championships in the 100, 200 and 400 metres. Leaving the world championships without any gold medals would be a disappointment for Guilhermina.