VANCOUVER – Four UBC Thunderbirds track and field alumni have been chosen to represent Canada at the upcoming International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships, taking place Aug. 4-13 in London, England.
 
Ben Thorne of Kitimat, B.C., headlines the UBC contingent. He heads to London as the reigning world bronze medallist in the 20-kilometre race walk. Thorne came third at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing with a time of one hour, 19 minutes, and 57 seconds. Earlier this month, the two-time NAIA race walk champion won the Canadian title ahead of Evan Dunfee. This will be Thorne's third appearance at the World Championships.


 
Richmond, B.C.'s Dunfee will compete in London at the 50-kilometre distance. In 2013, he was 12th in both the 20- (1:21:48) and 50-km race walk (3:49:56) at the World Championships in Beijing. Dunfee, the 2011 NAIA titlist and national meet record holder, placed fourth at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, which is also his current world ranking. The London meet will be Dunfee's third World Championships appearance.
 


High jumper Mike Mason of Nanoose Bay, B.C., is also headed to the World Championships for the third time, after winning the Canadian title. A three-time NAIA gold medallist from 2006-08, Mason finished ninth in his qualifying group at the Worlds in 2015. He won the 2004 World Junior title, and is returning to the site of his eighth-place finish at the 2012 Olympics.
 


Coming off her seventh career national championship, Liz Gleadle is gunning for the world's top honour in the women's javelin throw. Gleadle will attempt this in the same stadium where she made Canadian history at the 2012 Olympics. Five years ago, she became the first athlete from this country to make the Olympic final in the women's javelin. An NAIA winner in each of her four years of university competition (2007-10), Gleadle was 11th with a throw of 59.82 meters at the 2015 World Championships.