Edmonton Headliners Include Canadian Standouts Arop, Mitton, Morales Williams, Sutherland And Leduc

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Diamond League AG Photos

Marco Arop, who ran a world-leading time of 1:41.84 in the 800 meters at the Diamond League meet in Paris, leads a robust lineup of Canadian stars who will take advantage of a chance to compete on home soil at the Edmonton Athletics Invitational, a Continental Tour silver meet. 

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The Edmonton meet is the first of two competition opportunities for top Canadians in the span of three days. Many who will compete on Sunday will also be in the Harry Jerome Classic in Burnaby, B.C. next Tuesday. 

Arop will return to Edmonton for the first time in two years. He won the 800 there in 2024 in 1:44.58 and also won at Foote Field in 2023. 

He will face American Brandon Miller, who won one of the biggest races of races of his career last Saturday at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, where he outkicked Cooper Lutkenhaus to win in 1:43.68. 

It will be the first time Arop and Miller have met on the track. 

Recent Penn State teammates Allon Clay and Niko Shultz are also in the men's 800. They finished fourth and sixth, respectively, at the NCAA Championships. 

Another Paris Diamond League winner, Sarah Mitton, leads the field in the women's shot put. She has won four straight years in Edmonton. Mitton was fourth at the Prefontaine Classic last weekend. Maggie Ewen and Abby Moore of the U.S. are also entered. 

Christopher Morales Williams, already a four-time national champion and World indoor champion in the 400 meters, is returning to Edmonton after winning there last year. He'll face a lineup that includes Americans Demarius Smith and Justin Robinson. 

In the women's 400 meters, Savannah Sutherland will return to the site of her professional debut last year and will face Canadian and Pan Am Games champion Lauren Gale. 

Canadian champion and record holder Audrey Leduc is entered in the women's 100 meters and will face Americans Celera Barnes, Caisja Chandler and Semira Killebrew, and Canadian Sade McCreath. 

Lauren Tolbert, who placed third at the NCAA Championships in the 800 meters for Duke, is the top entry in that event. 

Alia Armstrong tops the entry list in the women's 100-meter hurdles. Armstrong finished sixth in Paris in her last outing. 

Rachel Richeson, Anthonett Nabwe and Janeah Stewart are competing in the women's hammer. 

Jaylah Dennis, a 16-year-old Canadian U20 champion, leads the field in the women's high jump.

The men's 100 meters includes Joseph Amoah of Ghana and Americans Brandon Hicklin, Cravon Gillespie, Marcellus Moore and Cameron Crump. 

Jamaican national champion Assinie Wilson leads the field in the men's 400-meter hurdles. 

Americans Jamar Marshall Jr and De'Vion Wilson top the entries in the men's 110-meter hurdles. 

The men's hammer competition includes Rowan Hamilton, the Canadian national runner-up, Denzel Comenentia of The Netherlands and Alex Young and Tyler Williams of the U.S.