Cam Levins of Black Creek, among the Island breakout performers at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, expressed disappointment in his 14th-place finish in the 10,000 metres Saturday as the 2013 IAAF world track and field championships opened in Moscow.
鈥淚鈥檓 not really in the shape I needed to be and wasn鈥檛 as ready to go as I need to be,鈥� said Levins, in a statement through Athletics sa国际传媒.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to have to go back, have a good fall and see what happens next year.鈥�
Levins, who was across in 27:47.89, also lost his status as the boy wonder of Canadian middle-distance when Mohammed Ahmed finished ninth in 27:35.26 鈥� the best time ever in the event by a Canuck at the worlds.
鈥淚 had an illness issue for awhile 鈥� got married [last month in Victoria]. A lot of distractions took me away from training,鈥� Levins said. 鈥淚 need to be better next year.鈥�
Unheralded coming out of G.P. Vanier Secondary in Courtenay, Levins had to take to the Internet to promote himself in order to get an offer for a U.S. collegiate NCAA scholarship.
He seemed to come out of nowhere last year with Southern Utah to sweep the 2012 NCAA titles in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres before making the finals in both those events at the London Olympics.
Now, Levins鈥� challenge is to show he鈥檚 the real deal and has staying power at this heady level.
London Olympics-champion Mo Farah of Great Britain wasn鈥檛 on home soil this time but was just as golden, winning the 10,000 Saturday in 27:21.71.
Levins gets another shot at Farah when the qualifying rounds begin Tuesday for the 5,000 metres, which Farah also won at the 2012 Olympics. The final is scheduled for Friday.
Fellow Islander and London Olympics finalist Mike Mason of Nanoose Bay begins competition in the high-jump qualifying rounds Tuesday, with the final scheduled for Thursday.
Olympic semifinalist Nathan Brannen, who trains in Victoria with coach Wynn Gmitroski, runs the qualifying rounds of the 1,500 metres Wednesday.
The semifinals are Friday and the final is next Sunday.
sa国际传媒 has sent a team of 46 to the 2013 world championships.
Among the medal hopefuls is Dylan Armstrong of Kamloops, the 2011 worlds silver-medallist shot-putter and two-time Olympic-finalist.
As well, Jessica Zelinka of Calgary is among the favourities in the women鈥檚 hurdles, as is the men鈥檚 4x100 relay team 鈥� denied bronze in London after Jared Connaughton of Prince Edward Island was ruled to have stepped on the lane line.
Sportsnet is broadcasting a highlights package daily from the 2013 worlds, with today鈥檚 airing at 7 p.m. and Monday鈥檚 at 8 p.m.
The seamlessly-striding Gary Reed was the last Island athlete to win a medal at the world track and field championships. Reed won the silver medal in the 800 metres at Osaka in 2007, before placing a narrow fourth in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
