July 6, 2018
Rising Vanderbilt freshman middle distance runner Haley Walker will represent Canada at the IAAF World Under-20 Track and Field Championships, scheduled next week in Finland.
Walker, from Toronto, Canada, will compete in the 800 meters at the U20 world championships. She will run in the prelims on July 10, seeking to advance to semi-finals on July 11. The 800-meter finals will be held July 12.
Walker, who graduated from the Havergal School in Toronto, was named to the Canadian U20 national team after producing a career-best 2:06.48 in the 800 meters on June 14 in Hamilton, Ontario.
Vanderbilt head coach Steve Keith said Walker should benefit greatly as she competes against an international field at the U20 championships.
“I’m really happy for Haley because it’s a tremendous honor to be selected to compete for your national team,” Keith said. “I hope Haley goes to Finland, runs a series of really strong races and has a wonderful experience.”
In the last month, Walker has been performing at a high level. Two days after establishing her personal-best in the 800 meters, Walker came back to set a career-best in the 1,500-meter run, posting a 4:24.99 effort. The IAAF World U20 Championships will be held July 10-15 in Tampere, Finland.
One of Walker’s future teammates at Vanderbilt, rising sophomore Emily Cohen, is another Toronto product who has represented Canada in international competition. Cohen competed in the 1,500-meter run at the 2015 World U18 Championships in Cali, Colombia.
