University of Toronto Varsity Blues cross country and track and field alumna Gabriela DeBues-Stafford finished 11th overall in the women's 1500m at the 2025 World Athletics Championships this week in Tokyo.

The Toronto native clocked a season-best time of 3:59.65 in the final, after superb races in the heats and semis just two and three days before.

"In the last lap, I could have maybe hung tough a little bit better, but in the third lap, they gapped me a little bit. I was just feeling really heavy and tired. I'm happy that I was there in the last lap, but I kind of wish that I just like went for it at 200 metres and just like paid the price in lane two instead of trying to tuck in. Getting a sub four, that's a really good silver lining," she said.

DeBues-Stafford went onto place 12th in her heat in the 5000m on Thursday night, clocking a time of 15:04.30. While her time wasn't enough to move on to the semifinals, the Canadian record holder wrapped a busy week on the track.

"I would've liked to have had a little bit more in the likes today. They started changing gears a bit earlier than I was ready for. I kind of wish that I'd at least tried to stick with them but, in the moment it was too early. I didn't give up. I could have folded and just started jogging, but I didn't," DeBues-Stafford said. "I would've liked to have been that final, but I'm not going to get greedy. The 1500 was amazing, like a dream come true, and that's my baby. I would've much preferred this outcome than not making the 1500 final."

Gabriela's sister and fellow former Varsity Blues standout, Lucia, was also representing Canada on the world stage. Lucia Stafford placed seventh overall in her heat of the 1500m in 4:08.98.

"It was a battle of the mind today, being that close. I know I am one of the best. I know I'm right there, when you're 0.2 seconds off here and then 0.01 off at indoors. It's just a bit of a joke how many times I've been that close. I think just having that unshaking belief and just keep showing up and going to the bat and knowing that it'll come," Stafford said.

Rounding out the former Blues in Tokyo was Jazz Shukla, who placed sixth overall in her women's 800m heat on Thursday with a time of 2:01.42.

"Looking at my races, I've been going out quite aggressively. Today we made a choice to back off a little bit and to slot in on the rail, stay out of trouble, just observe, and then try to make smart moves and finish strong in the last hundred. Obviously it's always hard to find space when there's that many good girls. So I got through and then got a little tripped up. It's the way she goes. Kind of swing a miss today, but just what it is," Shukla said.
 
Gabriela DeBues-Stafford at U of T:

Gabriela DeBues-Stafford quickly became a cross country and track and field star and graduated from the Varsity Blues program as a top international athlete. DeBues-Stafford claimed the individual silver medal at the 2014 OUA cross country championships, before winning the event in 2015. That season, she claimed the national individual silver medal. On the track, the four-time OUA all-star and U SPORTS all-Canadian is a three-time OUA 1500m champion, two-time OUA 1000m champion and helped the Blues to two gold-medal finishes in the 4x800 relay. Nationally, she is a two-time 1500m champion, while also winning the 1000m and 3000m events once. Her international career took off after a silver-medal finish in the 1500m at the 2015 FISU Games. Since then, she has claimed three Canadian outdoor 1500m gold medals and represented Canada at the 2016 Olympic Games, 2017 IAAF world championships and the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Lucia Stafford at U of T:

As a Varsity Blue, Lucia Stafford was a cross country phenom, helping the Blues to the 2017 national title, while winning both championship races to be named OUA and U SPORTS female athlete of the year in 2019. On the track, she is a four-time OUA all-star and three-time U SPORTS all-Canadian. She was named the winner of the 2018 Dr. Wendy Jerome Trophy as the OUA female most valuable performer and wrapped up her intercollegiate career as U of T's T-Holders' female athlete of the year and the OUA female athlete of the year across all sports in 2019-20. She also earned two fifth-place finishes in the 1500m and 4x400 relay at the 2019 FISU Summer Universiade in Naples, Italy. 

Jazz Shukla at U of T:

A track and field and cross-country student-athlete, Jazz Shukla was a middle-distance specialist during her time at U of T. She is a first team all-Canadian in both track and cross country. A five-time OUA gold medalist as well as a winner of a U SPORTS gold, and two silvers medals, she was named the 2021-22 OUA Wendy Jerome outstanding performer female and well as the OUA women's track MVP.