Camryn Rogers leads Canadian charge in Finland

Canadian hammer thrower Camryn Rogers added another title to her growing résumé on Tuesday, securing victory at the prestigious Paavo Nurmi Games despite an uneven series of throws.

The reigning world and Olympic champion from Richmond, B.C., threw 74.59 metres on her fifth attempt to claim top spot at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet. Though she fouled on three of her six attempts, Rogers managed to outperform a strong field, including local favourite Silja Kosonen, who placed second with 73.21 metres.

“I feel good,” Rogers said afterward. “There are still some technical things to work on from today, but I love competing here. The crowd is crazy, so passionate, and they really appreciate the hammer throw.”

Now 26, Rogers continues to cement her place among the world’s best. She holds a personal best of 78.62 metres and has thrown 78.14 this season. Her performance in Turku marked her third win of 2024. She will stay in Finland to compete at the Kuortane Games on Saturday before shifting focus to the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meet in Eugene, Oregon, on July 5.

Rogers also praised her Finnish competitors, Kosonen and Krista Tervo, noting the strength of the current generation of female hammer throwers. “It’s such a special time to be a hammer thrower, especially for women,” she said. “Many of the top 10 of all time are active now, and it’s a very supportive, close-knit community.”

Elsewhere at the meet, Gabriela DeBues-Stafford of Toronto continued her return to form after three injury-plagued seasons, winning the women’s 1,500 metres in 4:02. It was her fastest performance in more than three years and her second consecutive victory in the distance this season.

Meanwhile, in sprint events, Audrey Leduc placed fourth in the women’s 100 metres with a time of 11.16 seconds. New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs won in 11.07. Leduc set a Canadian record of 10.95 last summer and remains a key figure in Canada’s Olympic relay squad.

On the men’s side, Jerome Blake turned in a strong showing in the 100 metres, finishing second in 10.09 seconds, just one-hundredth behind Great Britain’s Romell Glave. Andre De Grasse, another key member of Canada’s gold-medal relay team, was sixth in 10.23.

Elsewhere, Quebec’s Jean-Simon Desgagnés posted a season-best 8:14.40 to finish fifth in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase, while Thomas Fafard clocked 13:18.74 in the 5,000m to place seventh. Charles-Philibert-Thiboutot, also from Quebec, ran 3:38.17 in the 1,500m to finish 12th.

But the day belonged to Camryn Rogers, who once again proved that even on an off day, she remains the one to beat.

#CamrynRogers #TeamCanada #TrackAndField #HammerThrow #CanadianAthletes #PaavoNurmiGames #Athletics #RoadToParis #WomenInSport #GabrielaDeBuesStafford #AudreyLeduc #JeromeBlake #AndreDeGrasse