Canadians look to use World Athletics Indoor Championships as launch pad to Paris

GLASGOW — With the bright lights shining down on the infield of Emirates Arena, Canadian athletes got in one last training session on Thursday morning ahead of Friday's start of the World Athletics Indoor Championships.

Fourteen Canadians have made the trip to Glasgow to compete in the 19th edition of the world indoor championships.

With the Paris Olympics less than five months away, Athletics Canada head coach Glenroy Gilbert says this is a crucial event for the athletes who have made the trip to continue their preparation for the Games.

"It's fun. It's quick. It's the penultimate step to the Olympics. But make no mistake, a lot of the athletes you see here are the ones that will be lining up for medals in Paris," Gilbert told CBC Sports. "This is a high-level competition. It's not for everybody.

"But the people who are here are going to perform and work on different things."

Canadian athletics is coming off a world championship this past summer that saw its athletes win six medals — four gold and two silver.

Gilbert, who was part of Canada's 4x100-metres relay team that won gold at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, says there is momentum and great anticipation ahead of the Paris Games.

"It's amazing to say the least. I think our athletes have been knocking it out of the park when it comes to preparation," he said. "They've taken it to the next level and believe they can win on the global stage which is what we've tried to reiterate. Performance on demand.

"Our athletes in track and field in Canada right now are doing a phenomenal job."

The world indoors are a three-day competition that will feature more than 650 athletes, including 20 reigning indoor champions from two years ago and seven gold-medal winners from the Tokyo