Top 10 Canadian athletes to watch at the 2019 Pan Am Games
Ellie Black, Damian Warner, Jennifer Abel highlight Canada's superstar squad
The Pan American Games won't feature all of Canada's top 2020 Olympians, but some Tokyo medal contenders are sure to be competing in Lima, Peru.
The Games also include some top athletes in non-Olympic sports.
With the first full day of events going Saturday, here is a look at 10 Canadians to watch at the Games:
Damian Warner
The decathlete from London, Ont., became the third athlete to win five career titles at the prestigious Gotzis Hypo-Meeting earlier this year in Austria.
Warner won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, silver at the 2015 world championships and gold at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto.
WATCH | Warner runs fastest 100 in decathlon history:
Alysha Newman
The pole vaulter from London has broken her own Canadian record twice in the last two months.
Newman was sidelined for almost the entire 2018 season with a knee injury after capturing gold at the Commonwealth Games in Australia.
Evan Dunfee
The native of Richmond, B.C., finished fourth in the 50-kilometre race walk at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Despite missing the podium, Dunfee's fourth-place finish was one of Canada's biggest stories in Rio. He was upgraded to bronze after being jostled by Hirooki Arai of Japan.
Arai appealed, bumping Dunfee to fourth, and the Canadian opted not to file a counter-appeal, saying in a statement: "I will never allow myself to be defined by the accolades I receive, rather the integrity I carry through life.
WATCH | New pill helps athletes beat the heat:
Shawn DeLierre
The 37-year-old Montreal squash player is competing in his fourth Pan Am Games. He anchored the Canadian men's team to gold four years ago at home.
DeLierre reached a career-high of No. 35 in the world rankings in 2013.
Phylicia George
The runner from Markham, Ont., has competed in Summer (track) and Winter (bobsled) Olympics. She captured bronze in Pyeongchang in 2018 with Kaillie Humphries.
George, 31, has made the final of the 100-metre hurdles at the past two Summer Games.
WATCH | George just misses podium at Harry Jerome Classic:
Mathea Olin
The 16-year-old surfer from Tofino, B.C., competes in a sport making its Pan Am debut this year and its Olympic kickoff the following year.
Olin won gold and bronze in Lima at the 2017 Pan Am Surf Games, marking Canada's first international medals in the sport.
WATCH | The Bond: Mathea Olin:
Crispin Duenas
The 33-year-old archer from Scarborough, Ont., is a three-time Olympian.
Duenas had his best individual Olympic finish in 2016 in Rio, placing 17th. He has two silver medals from previous Pan Am Games.
Ellie Black
The gymnast from Halifax was the most decorated Canadian athlete from the Toronto Pan Am Games, winning five medals (three gold, one silver, one bronze).
Black became the first Canadian to win an all-around medal at the world championships in 2017 in Montreal, capturing silver.
That came one year after placing fifth at the Olympics, Canada's best-ever finish in the event.
WATCH | Black leads Canada to history at gymnastics worlds:
Michelle Li
The badminton player from Markham is the reigning Pan Am singles champion.
Li was part of the 'Bruce Li' doubles team (with Alexandra Bruce) that finished fourth at the 2012 London Olympics. The team was reinstated when four teams were expelled from the Games for losing matches on purpose.
The 27-year-old is in the top 20 in the world rankings.
Jennifer Abel
The diver from Laval, Que., became the most decorated Canadian athlete in world aquatics championship history when she earned a silver with Melissa Citrini-Beaulieu in the women's three-metre synchronized event earlier this month in Gwangju, South Korea.
Abel, 27, now has nine medals at the worlds. She'll be looking to return to the Olympic podium next year after two fourth-place showings in 2016.
WATCH | Abel becomes most decorated Canadian ever at aquatics worlds:
