Audrey Leduc Lowers Canadian Record In 100 Meters; Savannah Sutherland Wins Pro Debut; Christopher Morales Williams Secures World Standard; Sarah Mitton Takes On Challenging Travel Logistics

Story and Photo By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

RESULTS/VIDEOS | INTERVIEWS

EDMONTON – A handful of Canada’s top track and field performers reveled in a rare chance to compete on home soil and got something important out of the experience.

Audrey Leduc broke her own national record in the women’s 100 meters in the prelims at the Edmonton Athletics Invitational under warm sunny skies when she ran 10.94 seconds. That trimmed .01 seconds off her best, which was in 2024.

She returned later to win the final in 11.06 seconds.

“It was amazing to run under 11 seconds again,” Leduc said. “I’ve been traveling a lot. I went to Europe for experience but now I can rest.”

Leduc and the other top Canadians are getting set for the Canadian Track and Field Championships presented by Bell, July 30 to Aug. 3.

Savannah Sutherland, who broke the NCAA record in the 400-meter hurdles last month, raced for the first time as a professional and won the flat 400 in 50.62 seconds.

Sutherland, who hails from the small town of Borden in Saskatchewan, felt it appropriate to begin her pro career “as close to home as I can get.”

Sutherland spent some time at home after the NCAA Championships before resuming her training and signing a professional shoe deal with Adidas.

She said she is undecided which event she’ll compete in at the national championships, but it won’t be the hurdles. She’s choosing between the 200 meters and 400.

Sarah Mitton, a two-time indoor world champion in the shot put, has spent the past week proving that she can perform under adverse conditions. On Friday she competed at her second Diamond League meet in the span of a week, in Monaco, and then Saturday she traveled back to Canada.

Mitton got into Edmonton at 2 a.m. Sunday morning after a three-hour delay in Montreal and got as much rest as she could before the afternoon meet at Foote Field.

She won the competition with 19.42m (63-10.25).

“On a day when I wasn’t feeling fresh, it shows me everything’s working,” Mitton said. “Even when you’re at your worst, you still have something in there.”

It’s not a meet Mitton was willing to skip.

“It’s important for me to compete in Canada,” she said. "We’ve seen some really great athletes here today, and when you get to that (elite) level I believe it’s important to grow the sport here. This is how you do that. You have to show up (for the crowd of supporters).

Christopher Morales Wiliams, who is still attending school at the University of Georgia, competed at the World Athletics Indoor Championships and finished fifth in the final. But when he returned from China, he was ill for three months.

“I’m just now starting to feel like myself,” he said. “It was a juggle, but now I’m back.”

Morales Williams checked an important box when he won the 400 on Sunday in 44.85 seconds, just under the World Athletics standard.

Now that he doesn’t have to chase that, he can focus on competing and improving at the upcoming national championships.

Tatiana Aholou also enjoyed a big day for the Canadian contingent, running a personal best 12.77 to win the women's 100-meter hurdles. 

Jazz Shukla added a sixth win for Team Canada with her victory in the women's 800 meters in 2:00.44.

American Rachel Richeson left her mark on Foote Field as she won the women's hammer with 77.81m (255-3), a world standard and also the farthest throw ever in Canada. 

Caleb Dean, like Morales Williams a 2024 Bowerman Award finalist, won the men's 400-meter hurdles as a rain shower moved through the area. Dean won in 48.08 seconds. 

Joseph Amoah of Ghana won the men's 100 meters in 10.11 seconds, edging out Americans Marcellus Moore (10.16) and Javonte Harding (10.19). 

Handal Roban of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (also Penn State) won the men's 800 meters in 1:45.82. 

De'Vion Wilson of the U.S. won the men's 110-meter hurdles in 13.34 seconds. 

Denzel Comenentia of The Netherlands won the men's hammer with a mark of 75.31m (247-1). 

In the men's long jump, Shoutarou Shiroyama led a 1-2 finish for a Japan with a winning mark of 7.76m (25-5.50).