Krista DuChene knew she had it in her. Today, at Banque Scotia 21K de Montreal, DuChene reaffirmed her readiness to compete at the Rio Olympics. Crossing the finish line at 1:12:30 (gun time) the Brantford, Ontario athlete won the women’s half marathon.
Although 39 year-old mom of three had previously met Olympic qualifying standard in the women’s marathon, Athletics Canada also requires athletes prove their fitness and readiness to compete. While DuChene had previously attempted meet the Athletics Canada standard at both the Chilly Half Marathon in Burlington in February and earlier this month Around the Bay 30K in Hamilton, she came up short.
Athletes have until the end of May to maintain their position on the Olympic team, and DuChene’s spot will ultimately depend on the number of females Canada decides to send to compete at the Rio Olympics in August.
In the men’s half marathon, Kip Kangogo claimed the win, crossing the line in 1:06:39.