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Adam Kunkel started the Canadian track and field championships where he left off last year, but ended up leaving the meet disappointed.

Kunkel, of Paisley, Ont., won the men's 400-metre hurdles Sunday, finishing in 50.52 seconds for his fifth national title. While most would be satisfied with this result, it was bittersweet for Kunkel.

"It's still good to come out and come in at the front, but I wanted that 48 today," Kunkel said. "Around 150 (metres) left I knew that it wasn't in the cards."

He was disappointed in his finish because his heat time Saturday was 49.68, which broke his championship record of 49.93 from last year.

"After yesterday's start with the meet record I think I just took it out too hard and ran out of gas," Kunkel said.

Calgary's Nigel Joseph was second in 51.95 and Montreal's Wesley Rehel came in third with a 51.99. Ontario high school champion Sarah Wells of Unionville, Ont., won the women's 400-metre hurdles in 59.06.

Other highlights Sunday at the University of Windsor Stadium as the meet wrapped up included the men's and women's 800 metre races, where Victoria's Diane Cummins won her ninth national title and Victoria's Gary Reed blazed to a meet record of one minute 44.93.

Overall, Canadian head coach Les Gramantik felt the championships went as planned.

"Ultimately the athletes who were supposed to win won," he said. "Gary Reed ran an amazing race, Tyler Christopher performed superb in somewhat windy conditions and we have the three girl hurdlers who can all win a medal at the world level. So those are probably the highlights."

Kunkel's Canadian record in the 400 metre hurdles is 48.77, which he ran last August in Zurich. He opened his season with a victory at a Grand Prix meet in Lucerne, Switzerland over two weeks ago. He recorded a time of in 48.84, but said he was noticed some issues with rhythm.

It was those same issues that plagued him at the Canadian event, Kunkel said.

"I've been working on it a lot," said Kunkel. "I was struggling with it again today. I tried to do a new rhythm and it tired me out."

The 26-year-old hopes his rhythm will be better for the Pan American Games and upcoming world championships.

Kunkel and the rest of the national team — including hurdler Perdita Felicien of Pickering Ont., and 400-metre specialist Tyler Christopher of Chilliwack, B.C. — are heading to the Pan Ams in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Monday.

Reed isn't going to Rio, but instead will be focusing on the world championships, which run from Aug. 25-Sept. 2 in Osaka, Japan. But for now he said he's glad to have his 800-metre title back. He was forced to pull out last year because of a sore calf.

"I didn't expect to run that fast today. I'm more happy to get the win," said Reed. "The way things happened last year I got injured in the heats. I just felt good about that win."

Reed was exactly one second off his Canadian record of 1:43.93. Last year's national champion Achraf Tadili of Montreal won silver in 1:45.84 and Andrew Ellerton of Sudbury, Ont., earned the bronze in 1:47.48.

Cummins was also pleased with her 800-metre gold. She finished in 2:02.49. Aimee Teteris of Victoria was second in 2:03.95 and Rebecca Johnstone of Bowen Island, B.C., was third in 2:04.24.

"I had to stay in front, there was no playing games," said Cummins. "Just focus and sprint for the finish so it was a very different race."

A national champion who didn't compete this weekend was heptathlete Jessica Zelinka of London, Ont. She dropped out of the 800-metre race and the long jump. She said she is nursing a bruised heel and wants to be ready for the Pan Am Games.

In other finals Sunday, Ottawa's Danelle Woods captured the gold in the women's 3000-metre steeplechase in 10:17.24, breaking the championship record of 10.17.55 set in 1999. Matthew Kerr of Elora, Ont., won gold in the men's steeplechase in 8:47.90.

Over 630 athletes competed for 210 medals this weekend. The Canadian event served as selection trials for the world championships.

Gramantik said the focus now shifts to the Pan Am Games, the world championships and ultimately the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"I am not expecting major changes in the composition in the team from Rio to Osaka to Beijing," Gramantik said. "There's very little room for people to jump on the team next year, but I'm looking forward to delivering the goals that we have projected."

Those would include 10 track and field medals at the Pan Am Games, two at the world championships and two at the Olympics. Gramantik said the performances at the Canadian championships served as a good base for the other events.