Canada's Lucia Stafford places 11th in 1,500m as indoor worlds come to a close

Canada's Lucia Stafford finished 11th in the women's 1,500-metre final as the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow came to a close on Sunday.

The London, Ont., native clocked in at four minutes 8.9 seconds in the 12-woman final, which was won by Ethiopia's Freweyni Hailu in 4:01.46.

Hailu, along with teammates Diribe Welteji (fifth) and Birke Haylom (ninth), held the top three spots in the first half of the race before American Emily Mackay bolted into the lead at the three-minute mark.

Hailu was ultimately able to catch the 25-year-old on the final lap, as Mackay also fell behind her teammate Nikki Hiltz.

The pair of Americans took silver and bronze, respectively, in times of 4:02.32 and 4:02.69 — both personal bests.

"That race had everything, Stafford told CBC Sports' Devin Heroux. "It went out really fast, then it slowed right down, and it was super bunched-up. [It was] a hard race to run, but honestly, that was fitness. I couldn't match the moves that were being made in the last 400m. And that sucks, and stings, but that just means I have to get to work...

"This time last year, I had a really good indoor season, but it's tough year-after-year to put your heart on the track. And I did a lot of work, and this time I feel more motivated than ever."

WATCH l Stafford reflects on her performance:

Stafford's own personal best indoor result stands at 4:04.29, set in New York in February 2023.

The 2020 Olympian also placed 13th in the 1,500m in Tokyo, and will have her sights set on Paris later this year.

Also racing in the 1,500m on Sunday was Vancouver's Kieran Lumb, who finished 13th in the men's final with a time of 3:41.37 — 4.56 seconds back of the personal-best indoor time he set in Boston in February