 It's a big weekend for athletics | | | Some of Canada's best track-and-field and road-running athletes are involved in three interesting events on three different continents this weekend. Here's what to know:
Damian Warner tries for another prestigious title in Austria.
The Olympic decathlon champion returns to Götzis on Saturday and Sunday for the Hypo Meeting, a highly regarded competition in decathlon and heptathlon circles. Last year, Warner won the decathlon for the sixth consecutive time, extending his record total to seven.
After finally capturing an Olympic gold medal two summers ago in Tokyo, the 33-year-old is focused on the other major title that has eluded him: a world championship. Warner seemed poised to grab one at last year's worlds in Oregon, but a hamstring injury in the 400m event knocked him out of the competition. Read about Warner's work to build back even better in this story by CBC Sports' Devin Heroux.
Distance stars Moh Ahmed and Cam Levins go head to head in Ottawa.
A decade ago, the Canadians were friendly rivals on the track, where Levins captured double gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m at the 2012 NCAA championships and won the track and field version of the Heisman Trophy.
Ahmed placed seventh in that 5,000m but has since blossomed into Canada's best long-distance track runner. He took silver in the Olympic 5,000 in 2021 and bronze at the world championships two years earlier, and currently holds the national records in both the 5,000 and 10,000.
Levins transitioned to road racing in 2017 and has reinvented himself as a top-notch marathoner. Along with breaking the Canadian record multiple times, Levins placed fourth at last year's world championships and in March became the fastest North American of all time when he ran 2:05:36 at the Tokyo Marathon.
On Saturday evening, Levin and Ahmed will race against each other for the first time in seven years when they hit the road for the Ottawa 10K. Both guys will be out of their comfort zones as Levins, 34, drops down from his preferred marathon and half marathon distances while Ahmed, 32, runs his first road race since his high-school days in St. Catharines, Ont. "I feel very much the underdog," said Levins, who's using the race to prep for next month's Canadian half marathon championships. Read more about Levins and Ahmed in this story by CBC Sports' Doug Harrison.
Marco Arop and Sarah Mitton make their Diamond League season debuts in Morocco.
Arop is the rising 800m star who took bronze at last year's world championships. That was a big step for the then 23-year-old, whose large frame was thought to be ill-suited to the gruelling three-round format of the major championships after he sputtered out in the semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics.
Arop won a one-off Diamond League race in England last May before placing second in the season-ending Final to world and Olympic champ Emmanuel Korir. They'll square off again Sunday in Rabat, which is hosting the second Diamond League meet of the season.
Mitton, 26, is coming off a breakthrough year that saw her break the Canadian women's shot put record, place fourth at the world championships and win gold in her Commonwealth Games debut. She also finished second in the Diamond League final, behind American world champion Chase Ealey, who is not competing Sunday.
The meet's marquee event, the men's 100m, was billed as a showdown between reigning world champ Fred Kerley of the United States and reigning Olympic champ Marcell Jacobs of Italy. That fell apart yesterday when Jacobs withdrew due to (another) injury. But Kerley's challengers still include world-championship bronze medallist and defending Diamond League champion Trayvon Bromell of the U.S., former world champ Yohan Blake of Jamaica and Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala, whose recent 9.84 is the fastest time in the world this year. Read more about the 100m contenders in this piece by CBC Sports contributor Morgan Campbell.
Watch the meet live Sunday from 2-4 p.m. ET on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem. The men's 800m goes at 2:15 p.m. ET and the men's 100 at 3:25 p.m. ET. | | |  | Marco Arop broke through with a bronze medal in the 800m at last year's world championships. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | | | Quickly… | | | Some other things to know:
1. Maybe read a book tonight.
For the first time in a long time, there are no NHL or NBA playoff games to watch. But you'll want to clear some TV time for Saturday after two teams forced another elimination game in their respective conference finals last night.
The Dallas Stars were a shot away from being swept before veteran Joe Pavelski scored in overtime to force a Game 5 in the NHL's Western final. That goes Saturday at 8 p.m. ET in Vegas, where the Golden Knights will take another crack at joining the Cinderella Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup final. Watch live on the CBC TV network, CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.
Left for dead after falling into a 3-0 hole vs. the surprising Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics now look very much alive after last night's 110-97 win forced a Game 6 in the NBA's Eastern final. That's Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET in Miami. Either Boston will keep its bid for a second straight trip to the NBA Finals in play, or the Heat will clinch a matchup with the Western champion Denver Nuggets.
2. Canada faces Latvia in the semifinals of the men's hockey world championship.
Yesterday in Finland, Canada avenged its overtime loss in last year's gold-medal game by defeating the co-host Finns 4-1 in the quarterfinals. Jack Quinn, Samuel Blais, Michael Carcone and Tyler Toffoli scored for Canada while Montreal Canadiens goalie Samuel Montembeault made 27 saves. Canada and Finland faced off for gold at each of the past three world championships, with Canada sandwiching a victory between two losses.
Canada's surprising semifinal opponent is Latvia. The other co-host shocked perennial contender Sweden 3-1 yesterday in front of a boisterous home crowd in Riga. The victory ensured that Latvia will play for a medal for the first time in tournament history.
Saturday's semifinals and Sunday's medal games will all take place in Finland. The Canada-Latvia matchup starts at 7:20 a.m. ET, followed by the United States vs. Germany. The Americans were the only team to go unbeaten in the group stage before blanking the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals.
3. The Memorial Cup starts tonight in Kamloops, B.C.
The 103rd edition of the Canadian junior hockey championship opens with the host Kamloops Blazers facing the QMJHL champion Quebec Remparts. The Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) and the Peterborough Petes (OHL) square off Saturday night. The four teams play a round robin, with the top club advancing directly to the final and the second- and third-place teams meeting in the semifinal.
Kamloops has the benefits of home ice and extra rest after losing to Seattle in the WHL semifinals. The Blazers are led by forward Logan Stankoven, last season's CHL player of the year and one of the best players on the Canadian team that won gold at the world juniors in January.
Seattle features Thomas Milic, who was brilliant in net for Canada at the world juniors, and forward Dylan Guenther, whose two goals in the gold-medal game included the overtime winner. Guenther leads all three Canadian leagues in playoff goals with 16 in 19 games.
Quebec is on a tear. After closing the regular season with eight straight wins, the Remparts went 16-2 in the playoffs to capture their first QMJHL title in 47 years. Forward James Maletesta tied for the league lead with 14 goals in 18 playoff games while Justin Robidas was third in points with 27.
Peterborough is the most surprising Memorial Cup entry. The Petes won barely half their games in the regular season and finished with the OHL's 10th-best record. But they upset league-best Ottawa in the second round en route to their first OHL title in 17 years, with goalie Michael Simpson winning playoff MVP honours. | | | Coming up on CBC Sports | | | In addition to the aforementioned Dallas vs. Vegas Stanley Cup playoff game and the Diamond League meet in Morocco, the live streams this weekend on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem include Canadian diving's summer national championships in Toronto, a World Skateboarding Tour stop in Argentina and the Spelling Bee of Canada Championships. S-E-E the full streaming schedule here. | | | Share this newsletter | | or subscribe if this was
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