DAMIAN WARNER
Canadian decathlete Damian Warner looks on during shot put competition at the Rio Olympics in August, 2016.Cameron Spencer/Getty Images South America
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.
ALYSHA NEWMAN
London, Ont.-native Alysha Newman makes her way over the bar during an IAAF Diamond League pole-vaulting event in Rabat on June 16, 2019.FADEL SENNA/AFP/Getty Images
The pole vaulter from London has broken her own Canadian record twice in the past 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
Evan Dunfee crosses the finish to win the men’s 20-kilometre race walk at the Toronto Pan Am Games in 2015.Felipe Dana/The Associated Press
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 counterappeal, saying in a statement: “I will never allow myself to be defined by the accolades I receive, rather the integrity I carry through life.
SHAWN DeLIERRE
Squash player Shawn DeLierre, 37, competes in Lima on July 25, 2019. These are his fourth Pan American Games.David Jackson/The Canadian Press
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
Phylicia George, who also competed in bobsleigh at the Pyeongyang Winter Olympics, runs the 100-metre hurdles during the Harry Jerome International Track Classic in Burnaby, B.C., on June 20, 2019.JONATHAN HAYWARD/The Canadian Press
The runner from Markham, Ont., has competed in Summer (track) and Winter (bobsleigh) 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.
MATHEA OLIN
Sixteen-year-old Tofino, B.C., surfer Mathea Olin, seen on May 11, 2019, on Vancouver Island, represents Canada heading into what will be the first Pan Ams and Olympics to feature the sport.Bryanna Bradley/The Canadian Press
The 16-year-old surfer from Tofino, B.C., competes in a sport making its Pan Am debut this year. It will also be in the Olympics for the first time next year, in Tokyo.
Olin won gold and bronze in Lima at the 2017 Pan Am Surf Games, marking Canada’s first international medals in the sport.
CRISPIN DUENAS
Archer Crispin Duenas, seen in competition on April 28, 2019, in Medellin, Colombia, is a three-time Olympian.Supplied/Getty Images
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
Halifax gymnast Ellie Black, seen in competition in Chofu, Japan, on April 7, 2019, was Canada's most decorated athlete at the Toronto Pan Am Games.Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images
The gymnast from Halifax was the most decorated Canadian athlete at 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.
MICHELLE LI
Markham, Ont.-native Michelle Li, seen in Chofu, Japan, on July 25, 2019, is the reigning Pan Am women's singles badminton champion.Matt Roberts/Getty Images
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 world rankings’ top 20.
JENNIFER ABEL
Diver Jennifer Abel enters Pan Am competition fresh off a stellar performance at the world aquatics championships in Gwangju, South Korea, where she Canada's most decorated athlete.Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
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.