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Andrea Seccafien smashes Canadian record, Olympic standard in L.A.

LOS ANGELES — Andrea Seccafien smashed the Canadian record and ran well under the Olympic standard to win the 10,000 metres at the Sound Running Track Meet on Friday night. The 30-year-old from Guelph, Ont., ran 31 minutes 13.

LOS ANGELES — Andrea Seccafien smashed the Canadian record and ran well under the Olympic standard to win the 10,000 metres at the Sound Running Track Meet on Friday night.

The 30-year-old from Guelph, Ont., ran 31 minutes 13.94 seconds to win by over seven seconds. 

Natasha Wodak set the previous national record of 31:41.59 in 2015. The Olympic standard is 31.25.

Seccafien, a four-time Canadian champion over 5,000, lives and trains in Melbourne, Australia, and like many Canadian track and field athletes, travelled to the U.S. in recent weeks either in hopes of running the Olympic standard or fine-tuning before the Tokyo Games.

Seccafien also holds the Canadian half-marathon record. 

Wodak ran the Olympic standard in the marathon in Arizona in December. 

Melissa Bishop-Nriagu of Windsor, Ont., shaved nearly five seconds off her personal best in the 1,500 metres on Saturday, finishing fifth in 4:04.42. Bishop-Nriagu has already run the Olympic qualifying standard in the 800. 

And Toronto's Gabriela DeBues-Stafford, who's already achieved the Tokyo standard in the 1,500, moved down to the 800, running 2:00.03 to finish sixth.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2021.

The Canadian Press