Canada's Marco Arop races to second in 800 metres in Diamond League
LONDON — Canadian middle-distance racer Marco Arop finished second in a Diamond League 800 metres Saturday.
The 26-year-old from Edmonton posted a season-best one minute 42.22 seconds at London Stadium behind Kenyan victor Emmanuel Wanyonyi's 1:42.
Britain's Max Burgin placed third in 1:42.36.
Arop, the reigning world champion and last year's Olympic silver medallist in Paris, led at the final turn Saturday, but Olympic champion Wanyonyi reeled the Canadian in down the stretch.
'This is such a great place to race, and it lifted us all (to) produce a really competitive and close race today,' Arop said.
'I was happy to run a season best. I just trust in my coach's plan and it seems to be paying off.'
Arop bested his previous fastest time this season of 1:42.73 in Monaco on July 11 when he finished fifth.
Wanyonyi, who set a meet record in London, aims to take the world crown from Arop in September in Tokyo.
'I am so excited to win this race. That is what I came here to do, and it is great to set a meeting record too,' Wanyonyi said.
'It was a great race to be a part of. Preparation has been going well after Monaco, so this one was important today. My training right now is at 80 per cent, so I will be upping the training in the next few weeks and over the next races before Tokyo.'
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19 2025.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
33 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Athletics take on the Astros after Kurtz's 4-home run game
Athletics (44-62, fifth in the AL West) vs. Houston Astros (60-44, first in the AL West) Houston; Saturday, 7:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Athletics: Jacob Lopez (3-6, 4.60 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 75 strikeouts); Astros: Hunter Brown (9-4, 2.57 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 144 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -135, Athletics +114; over/under is 9 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Athletics take on the Houston Astros after Nick Kurtz hit four home runs on Friday in a 15-3 win over the Astros. Houston has a 60-44 record overall and a 33-21 record in home games. Astros pitchers have a collective 3.72 ERA, which ranks seventh in the majors. The Athletics are 44-62 overall and 24-31 in road games. The Athletics have gone 26-53 in games when they have allowed at least one home run. The matchup Saturday is the ninth time these teams match up this season. The season series is tied 4-4. TOP PERFORMERS: Jacob Wilson has a .312 batting average to lead the Athletics, and has 17 doubles and 10 home runs. Kurtz is 23 for 40 with seven home runs and 17 RBIs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Astros: 5-5, .244 batting average, 4.59 ERA, outscored by 10 runs Athletics: 5-5, .265 batting average, 4.55 ERA, outscored opponents by seven runs INJURIES: Astros: Brandon Walter: 15-Day IL (elbow), Lance McCullers: 15-Day IL (finger), Brendan Rodgers: 60-Day IL (oblique), Isaac Paredes: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Jake Meyers: 10-Day IL (calf), Zach Dezenzo: 60-Day IL (hand), Yordan Alvarez: 60-Day IL (hand), Luis Guillorme: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Jeremy Pena: 10-Day IL (rib), Jacob Melton: 10-Day IL (ankle), Shawn Dubin: 15-Day IL (forearm), Pedro Leon: 60-Day IL (knee), Spencer Arrighetti: 60-Day IL (thumb), Ronel Blanco: 60-Day IL (elbow), Hayden Wesneski: 60-Day IL (elbow), Luis Garcia: 60-Day IL (elbow), Cristian Javier: 60-Day IL (elbow), J.P. France: 60-Day IL (shoulder) Athletics: Denzel Clarke: 10-Day IL (abductor), Max Muncy: 10-Day IL (hand), Grant Holman: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Gunnar Hoglund: 60-Day IL (hip), Jose Leclerc: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Brady Basso: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Luis Medina: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
CBC
5 hours ago
- CBC
Nick Kurtz of Athletics becomes 1st MLB rookie to hit 4 home runs in a game
Nick Kurtz of the Athletics became the first rookie in Major League Baseball history to hit four home runs in a game and matched the MLB record with 19 total bases against the Astros on Friday night in Houston. Kurtz went deep in the second, sixth, eighth and ninth innings. He also doubled and singled on his 6-for-6 night to equal Shawn Green, who had four homers, six hits and 19 total bases for the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 23, 2002 at Milwaukee. "It's hard to think about this day being kind of real, it still feels like a dream," Kurtz said in a postgame television interview. "So it's pretty remarkable. I'm kind of speechless. Don't really know what to say." It was the 20th four-homer game in major league history and second this season. Arizona's Eugenio Suarez did it on April 26 against Atlanta. Kurtz and Green are the only players with six hits in a four-homer game. Kurtz finished with eight RBIs and six runs scored as the Athletics beat the Astros 15-3. The 6-foot-5, 22-year-old slugger has 23 homers in 66 games this season. The fourth overall pick in last year's amateur draft out of Wake Forest, he made his major league debut on April 23 and hit his first homer on May 13. He is the youngest player with a four-homer game. Pat Seerey of the Chicago White Sox was 25 when he homered four times on July 18, 1948. On Friday, Kurtz homered off each of the Astros' four pitchers: Ryan Gusto, Nick Hernandez, Kaleb Ort and outfielder Cooper Hummel, who worked the ninth with the game out of hand. His longest drive was his third, a 414-foot solo shot off Ort in the eighth. For his fourth homer, he hit an opposite-field line drive to the Crawford boxes in left field on a 77 mph, 2-0 pitch from Hummel. The three-run shot made it 15-2. Kurtz has been the best hitter in the majors in July, ranking first in batting average (.425), on-base percentage (.494), slugging percentage (1.082), runs (22), doubles (13), homers (11) and RBIs (27).
CTV News
9 hours ago
- CTV News
Three seeded Canadians placed in separate quadrants at men's National Bank Open draw
Felix Auger‑Aliassime of Canada returns the ball to Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany during their second round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 3, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) TORONTO — Felix Auger-Aliassime is of two minds about the raft of withdrawals from the National Bank Open. On one hand, it is unfortunate that Canadian tennis fans won't get to see the likes of World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 6 Novak Djokovic compete in the Toronto tournament. But on the other, Auger-Aliassime's chances of becoming the first homegrown tennis player to win the men's Canadian Open title in the Open Era have undoubtedly improved. 'I think (tournament director) Karl (Hale) and I might have a bit of a different angle here,' Auger-Aliassime, 24, joked as the draw was revealed at Sobeys Stadium on Friday in Toronto. 'Karl doesn't step on a court to play Alcaraz. So in my case, look, every tournament, it happens. You have to consider that the year is long and obviously players will have to make decisions about their schedule. But that doesn't change my goal here. Regardless if they were here or not, I'm here to compete, play and to try to win.' Auger-Aliassime is part of a trio of seeded Canadians alongside Denis Shapovalov and Gabriel Dillo. It's the first time the country has three seeded players in the men's bracket at its national open. All were drawn into separate quadrants, meaning the earliest they could meet is the semifinals. They each receive first-round byes as part of the revamped ATP Masters 1000 tournament which will feature 96 players and take place over 12 days — running from Sunday through Aug. 7 — for the first time. Apart from the missing stars, a friendly draw and home crowd could help the Canadians' chances, too. 'I really feel the support that we have from Canadians, so that fills me with a lot of strength and desire to play well,' said Auger-Aliassime, who won Olympic mixed-doubles bronze alongside Ottawa's Gabriela Dabrowski in Paris last summer. 'It's nice to come back every time. It doesn't happen often, so I try to soak in every moment.' The 21st-seeded Auger-Aliassime, of Montreal, won't have to face a seeded opponent until at least Round 3. He is also staring down a potential fourth-round match against American No. 4 Ben Shelton and a possible quarterfinal against No. 7 Frances Tiafoe, also of the United States. Shapovalov, the Richmond Hill, Ont., native who is seeded 22nd, would have to get through a quadrant that includes No. 3 Lorenzo Musetti and No. 8 Casper Ruud to reach the semifinals. The 26-year-old comes home on a high after winning his second title of the season earlier in July at an ATP 250 event in Mexico. Denis Shapovalov of Canada defeated seventh-seeded American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-2 to win the ATP 250 event at the Cabo Sports Complex on Saturday, July 19, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP file photo, Eduardo Verdugo Denis Shapovalov of Canada defeated seventh-seeded American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-2 to win the ATP 250 event at the Cabo Sports Complex on Saturday, July 19, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP file photo, Eduardo Verdugo Montreal's Diallo, the 27th seed who won his first career title in June, shares a quadrant with No. 2 Taylor Fritz and No. 6 Andrey Rublev. Germany's Alexander Zverev is the top seed in the tournament. 'You still have to win any match that comes day after day. And then obviously if you get into the later stages and these guys aren't around, OK, maybe the draw can open up,' Auger-Aliassime said. 'But at the same time, all the players are very high quality these days, so I think anybody that wins the tournament is going to have a hard time.' One of those high-quality players is Norway's Ruud, a 13-time winner on the ATP Tour and three-time Grand Slam finalist. But after winning the Madrid Open in April, Ruud has battled injuries and underperformance, including a second-round loss at the French Open and a withdrawal from Wimbledon. 'I played last week in Gstaad and didn't go as well as I hoped. But … I came early to prepare. So I'm going to try to spend every hour on the practice court well and be ready for this upcoming hard-court swing,' he said. Likewise, Auger-Aliassime's season hasn't gone exactly as planned despite a pair of titles in January and February. He said he employed an early-season strategy that included playing more lower-level tournaments ahead of Grand Slams — but while some went well, it hasn't paid off at majors. Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, B.C., who announced he would retire after the tournament, will face a qualifier in his first-round match and potentially meet Ruud in the second round. Liam Draxl, left, and Vasek Pospisil, of Canada, react after defeating Peter Fajta and Mate Valkusz, of Hungary, in their Davis Cup qualifying tennis match in Montreal on Sunday, February 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes Liam Draxl, left, and Vasek Pospisil, of Canada, react after defeating Peter Fajta and Mate Valkusz, of Hungary, in their Davis Cup qualifying tennis match in Montreal on Sunday, February 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes At least seven Canadians will compete in the main draw — pending Saturday's qualifying — but there are no all-Canadian matchups scheduled for the first round. World No. 115 Liam Draxl of Newmarket, Ont., will take on No. 92 Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain. Alexis Galarneau, the Laval, Que., native ranked 198th, meets No. 65 Arthur Rinderknech of France. Nicolas Arseneault of Richmond Hill, Ont.— Canada's top-ranked junior — will make his main-draw debut against 68th-ranked Serbian Laslo Djere. A Canadian man has never won the National Bank Open singles title since the Open Era began in 1968. Robert Bédard, who won his third title in 1958, is the last to accomplish the feat. Bianca Andreescu's 2019 championship marked the first for a Canadian woman since Faye Urban in 1969. Dabrowski remains the last Canadian to win on home soil, having emerged victorious in women's doubles alongside Brazilian partner Luisa Stefani in women's doubles in 2021. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2025. Myles Dichter, The Canadian Press
