On Saturday in Maisons-Laffitte, France, Toronto’s Gabriela DeBues-Stafford continued her sensational comeback season, clocking her fastest 5,000m time in more than three years. She finished second at the Fast 5000 in 14:47.83—two seconds under the 2025 world championship standard of 14:50.
The race had a chaotic start, with several athletes falling early, but DeBues-Stafford remained composed, weaving her way through the field to secure second place in a 30-woman field. Her time was the fastest by a Canadian woman since her national record of 14:31.38 from 2022, and it makes her one of 42 women to have met the 2025 world championship standard.
In a post-race interview with Stride Athletics, DeBues-Stafford said the goal for this meet was simple: hit the standard. “It wasn’t the best-case scenario,” she admitted. “I had a horrible start, but I’m happy I finished strong and got under the standard.”
The 29-year-old recently moved from Vancouver Island to Edinburgh, Scotland, where she now trains with her husband Rowan, as well as the University of Edinburgh’s Global Endurance Project coach, Mark Rowland (formerly with Athletics Canada) as her coaches. After years of injury setbacks, her new setup seems to be working. “I love being back in the UK, I love being back in Europe,” she said.
Gabriela DeBues-Stafford dominates in her 1,500m comeback
“Feeling very grateful for Rowan,” she said in an Instagram post. “I was so close to retiring last year, but he refused to believe I was truly done. Not sure I’d still be in the sport without him. I’m happy, healthy, and enjoying racing more than I have in years. Excited for what’s next, but soaking in today!”
DeBues-Stafford’s road back hasn’t been easy. After two years of stress fractures and SI joint troubles, she struggled to regain her form in 2024—her best time last year was 4:15.09, nearly 20 seconds off her national record of 3:56.12 from 2019. But this season, she’s back to form. In three outdoor races so far in 2025, she’s either won outright or hit the world championship standard.
Next up for DeBues-Stafford: a return to her signature event, the women’s 1,500m. She says she’s currently on the waitlist for the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland on June 17 and plans to race again in France (Nancy), later this month. As for the 5,000m, she says she likely won’t race the distance again until the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Ottawa in late July.
