Track & Field | 7/23/2026 2:00:00 PM
York University Lions cross country/track and field head coach Ray Rudder is no stranger to coaching internationally, but when he heads to Eugene, Oregon for the upcoming World Athletics U20 Championships, there is one thing that will be different.
Rudder, who hails from Barbados and has been at the helm of the Lions track and field program since 2018 after rising the ranks within the program – first serving as multi-events coach in 2015-16, then full-time assistant in 2016-17 and finally as interim head coach in 2017-18 – led the national program in his native country as Chief Coach and Manager for the Athletics Association of Barbados (AAB). In that role, which he occupied from 2006-15, he coached with eight national teams and guided several of the country's top young athletes to podium finishes.
However, since coming to Canada in 2015, he has never been able to coach a national team in his adoptive home.
Until now.
"Representing Canada on the international stage is always a profound honor, but being named to the staff for the U20 World Athletics Championships carries a unique responsibility," Rudder said. "The U20 level is the critical bridge between junior success and senior elite performance. To wear the Maple Leaf in this role means being trusted to guide our nation's top young athletes through one of the most pivotal transitions of their careers (while) ensuring they feel supported, confident, and prepared to perform on the world stage."
The Lions head coach will serve as Jumps Coach for Team Canada in Eugene, a position he held with the Indiana Tech Warriors of the NAIA during the 2013-14 season. York's jumping contingent was one of the strongest in the OUA this past season, where the men's triple jump trio of Arwin Mathivathanan, Jamie Crawford and Williams Kalu swept the podium at the OUA championships in February.
Rudder says his previous national team experience will serve him well as he trades in the blue and gold of Barbados for the red and white of Canada early next month.
"Having previous national team coaching experience gives me a clear blueprint for what to expect," he admitted. "At this level, championship success is as much about managing the environment as it is about physical readiness.
"My past international trips have taught me how to navigate the unique variables of championship athletics: complex call-room protocols, international travel logistics, tight schedules, and the high-pressure environment of a World event. I'll be using that experience to create a calm, structured, and focused team environment so our athletes can eliminate distractions and execute on demand."
There is one coincidence that isn't lost on Rudder as he prepares to represent Canada on the global stage for the first time.
"This is a full circle moment because (my) last World U20 Championship was where team Barbados walked away with a gold in the female long jump at the same venue," he recalled.
In one other interesting connection, Rudder will serve on the coaching staff alongside decorated former York sprinter, 2001 York Sport Hall of Fame inductee, six-time CIAU (now U SPORTS) gold medallist, two-team York women's athlete of the year and 1984 4x400m relay Olympic silver medallist Molly Killingbeck, who will fulfill the role of Team Leader.
Jump competitions get underway Aug. 5 with the high jump heptathlon and long jump events. Click for the full event schedule.
