Friday, June 25, 2021

MONTREAL, Que. – Former Simon Fraser middle-distance standout Lindsey Butterworth has punched her ticket to Tokyo and the Olympic Games.

The 2015 NCAA Division II champion indoors and outdoors in the 800 meters ran a lifetime best 1:59.19 at the Athletics Canada Olympic Track and Field Trials Friday, securing her spot on the Canadian Olympic Team.

Canadian Olympic hopefuls face a more difficult challenge in qualifying to make the team. With travel restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the trials champion did not automatically qualify for Tokyo. Instead, athletes have to make sure that their mark is among the top three in Canada and meets the Olympic standard.

Butterworth did just that. Her time ranks third this season among Canadian athletes and bettered the Olympic qualifying standard of 1:59.50. Running third for much of the race, Butterworth surged over the final 200 meters and passed Melissa Bishop-Nriagu in the final 25 meters to win the title.

The field was greatly assisted by recent SFU alumna Addy Townsend, who paced the field through the first 400 meters before dropping out of the race. Townsend entered the trials with Canada’s 10th-fastest time in the 800 meters at 2:03.20.

This is Butterworth’s second Canadian championship in the event. She won the 2018 title in a time of 2:00.81, which the fastest time in the event by a Canadian that season.

The Tokyo Olympics will mark the third time that Butterworth has represented Canada on the biggest stages of international track and field. She advanced to the semifinals in the 800 meters at the 2019 IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Doha, Qatar, registering a best of 2:00.74. Butterworth also raced at the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London.

Butterworth competed for Simon Fraser from 2012 to 2015 and was the 2015 NCAA Division II champion in the 800 meters both indoors and outdoors. She was a three-time GNAC outdoor champion (800, 1,500, 4x400 relay) and a five-time indoor champion, including three times in the mile. She was named the 2015 GNAC Female Athlete of the Year and the 2015 GNAC Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

Butterworth is employed by Simon Fraser athletics as the department’s NCAA program coordinator and academic advisor.