Tour de France stage winner gives shoutout to Canadian runner
Quebec's Robin Lefebvre came within 1.2 seconds of Michael Woods's Canadian U20 mile record last Friday
Nick Iwanyshyn
It’s not every day a Canadian high schooler breaks the four-minute mile barrier, but last Friday in Quebec City, Robin Lefebvre did just that. The 18-year-old ran 3:58.65 at La Classique de Québec, becoming only the fifth Canadian to run sub-four before the age of 20—and coming within 1.2 seconds of the national U20 record.
The record-holder himself, Tour de France stage winner Michael Woods, took notice.
On Wednesday, Woods posted a photo to Instagram, congratulating Lefebvre on the achievement: “This past Friday, my Canadian junior record in the mile got a scare from Robin Lefebvre, but on Sunday it still stood and saw its 20th anniversary. #sub4 #imold.”
Woods’s Canadian junior record of 3:57.43 was set on July 28, 2005, at the University of Windsor. At the time, he was just the third Canadian under 20 to go sub-four, joining Nate Brannen and Marc Olesen. A decade later, Justyn Knight joined the exclusive club, clocking 3:59.31 at 18 years and 196 days old.
Nine Canadians run sub-four-minute mile at Quebec City track meet
Woods ran collegiately at the University of Michigan before repeated foot injuries ended his running career. He transitioned to cycling, turned pro in 2013, and represented Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In 2023, as a member of Israel–Premier Tech, Woods won Stage 9 of the Tour de France, conquering the legendary Puy de Dôme climb. This year, he finished 52nd in the general classification and 10th in the mountains classification.
Lefebvre told Canadian Running that running sub-four had been a two-year goal for him. Now, the rising star will look to double down at this week’s Canadian Track and Field Championships, where he’s entered in both the U20 800m and 1,500m. He won the U20 800m national title last year.
