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South Africa's Caster Semenya, centre, races with Canada's Melissa Bishop, left, and Britain's Lynsey Sharp on her way to winning the gold in the final of the Women's 800m during the World Athletics Championships in London Sunday, Aug. 13, 2017.David J. Phillip/The Associated Press

Canada's national track and field program has been dealt a major setback with the worst showing at the world championships in 16 years.

The Canadian team went to London on something of a high, winning six medals in track at the Rio Olympics last year and eight at the 2015 world championships in Beijing. Head coach Glenroy Gilbert had said that he expected the team to increase its 2015 medal total.

But when the competition ended on Sunday night, the Canadians were without a single medal and the best finishes were fifths by Melissa Bishop in the 800 metres and Damian Warner in the decathlon. It's the first time since 2001 that Canada has not won a medal at the championships.

"It is hard. We came here for medals and we certainly didn't foresee the things that have happened," Gilbert said Sunday. "It's hard to put a happy face to that, but nonetheless we have to regroup and move forward."

The Canadian team was hit with some extraordinary bad luck. Sprinter Andre De Grasse, a medal contender in three events, was injured during a light workout just days before the meet started. High jumper Derek Drouin, the defending world champion, also pulled out with an injury. And four Canadian athletes were stricken with a stomach virus that swept through their hotel in central London. The most notable to get sick was Warner, who won a bronze medal in Rio and took silver in 2015, but got off to a poor start in London and could only manage fifth place.

Gilbert said he wants to review the preparation plans for some of the athletes. He cited the sprint-relay teams in particular, saying they were not in shape and lacked experience. The men's 4x100-metre relay team finished sixth and the women's 4x400-metre relay team came last in its qualifying heat.

"Obviously, I think there were some issues around preparation for some athletes … in the lead-up to this," he said.

"Of course, our relay team didn't perform, the guys were out of shape and didn't perform up to the standard they should have. Our women's [4x400-metre relay team], when you look at them, there was some inexperience there … when it came down to performance they just weren't ready," coach Gilbert said.

He said he hopes to increase co-ordination with individual coaches to help plan competition schedules and keep better tabs on athletes. However, he would not set a target for Canadian track athletes at the next Olympics, in Tokyo in 2020.

There were several bright spots in London. Gilbert noted that 12 Canadians finished in the top eight in their respective events. Among the more notable performances was a pair of Canadian records – by Mohammed Ahmed, who came eighth in the 10,000 metres in 27 minutes 2.35 seconds, and Geneviève Lalonde, who finished 13th in the steeplechase in 9:29.99. Brittany Crew became the first Canadian to make the final in the woman's shot put. And Crystal Emmanuel made the final of the 200 metres, which hadn't happened since 1983.

"I couldn't be happier," Crew said after the shot put. "Since I'm 23, and a lot of people peak at 28. In Tokyo, I'm hoping I can get on the podium and I think my progression is showing that."

Ahmed, who also finished sixth in the 5,000 metres, said setting a Canadian record wasn't enough. "Honestly, one of the things that I'm really sick of is 'best Canadian finish.' I want to be the best in the world and that's what I'm working toward," he said after the 10,000 metres.

Others, such as Bishop, expressed frustration at coming up short of a medal. She'd won a silver in 2015, came fourth in Rio and was one of the athletes Gilbert pegged to win a medal in London. But she finished fifth on Sunday, well back of the top three.

"It's been tough," Bishop said after her race, referring to the poor showing by Canada. "I'll be honest. It's been tough to see just the unfortunate timing of things. Coming off Rio and the worlds leading up to Rio … I think it's hard for everybody. I really wanted to put Canada on the map with a medal tonight but it was just not in the cards."

Gilbert said Athletics Canada will review the performances and begin planning for the next world championships in two years. "We have to look at what we can do next with our athletes, ensuring that we've got the right systems in place to deliver next time around," he said.

He added that he did not believe the showing in London will have an impact on funding for Athletics Canada. The organization gets money from several sources, including $4.1-million from the Own The Podium program, which concentrates on developing elite athletes.

"No, not at all," he said when asked whether he was worried the team's results might have an impact on funding. Then he added with a laugh: "Maybe I should be, right?"

Nine Canadian athletes and staff have come down with a stomach bug believed to be the Norwalk virus at the world track and field championships in London. The team’s doctor says athletes arriving later will stay in a different hotel.

The Canadian Press

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