Record-Breaking Batley Closes Out Debut Canada Games as Ontario’s Flag Bearer

The 18-year-old sprinter capped his first Games with double gold, a new record, and the honour of carrying the flag in St. John’s

August 24, 2025

When the lights dim and the music swells at the Closing Ceremony of the 2025 Canada Summer Games in St. John’s, Team Ontario’s flag will be carried proudly into the stadium by one of the week’s brightest young stars: 18-year-old sprinter Will Batley.

For Batley, the moment was a humbling conclusion to a whirlwind debut Games that saw him win two gold medals, set a Canada Games record, and cement himself as one of the country’s top young track talents.

His signature moment in St. John’s came in the men’s 200 metres. Less than eight weeks after returning from a two-month layoff with a hamstring injury, he powered through the curve, then shifted gears with 80 metres to go—pulling away from the field and crossing the line in 20.57 seconds. The time didn’t just secure him gold; it shattered the Canada Games record previously held by Olympian Sam Effah since 2013.

That performance was not an outlier—the Ottawa native is no stranger to rewriting record books. Earlier this year at the Carleton Last Chance meet, his 32.91 in the 300m was the fastest U20 time in Canadian history and the first sub-33-second clocking by a Canadian high schooler, smashing the national record set by Olympian Christopher Morales Williams. The run placed him second in the world for the event in the U20 division and fourth on Canada’s all-time list.

At Canada Games, Batley doubled down on his gold-medal campaign with a second title in the men’s 4x100m relay. Alongside teammates Domenic Barresi, Travis Campbell, and Tamarri Lindo, Ontario stopped the clock at 40.33 seconds. The relay team had never competed together before, but chemistry clicked quickly.

“Our team’s just really close in general,” said Barresi. “This is the most fun meet I’ve ever been a part of. Me and Will are just boys now, even though I only met him this week.”

Batley, the youngest on the relay team, shared that feeling. “Just being able to have this experience, this young too, I was overjoyed to be announced to the team because I thought I wasn’t going to because of injuries early on this season,” he said. “So just to be on the team, it felt amazing. Especially with this squad, I was happy to be part of it and get to know everyone.”

That same spirit has carried Batley throughout his still budding but already decorated career. A relative newcomer to athletics—he first realized his speed playing soccer just three years ago—he quickly rose through the ranks with CANI Athletics. By 2023, he was competing internationally at the NACAC U18 Championships, and last summer he represented Canada at the U20 World Championships. He’s also a two-time OFSAA sprint champion and the 2024 U20 National Champion in the 200m.

At the Canadian U20 Championships earlier this summer, Batley collected silver in the 200m and bronze in the 100m, marking a strong return from his injury layoff and showing the form that made him the country’s fastest U20 half-lap runner.

All 514 members of Team Ontario can take pride in seeing Batley chosen to carry the flag into the Closing Ceremony—an honour that reflects not only his achievements, but the spirit of the entire delegation. As the flame prepares to be extinguished in St. John’s, he will carry Ontario’s colours into the final celebration, closing out two unforgettable weeks of competition for the province at the 2025 Canada Summer Games.