In a season devoid of a World Athletics Championships and Olympics, Cooper Lutkenhaus is demonstrating he’s the man to beat over 800 metres outdoors after capturing a world indoor title in March.
The 17-year-old American won his second race in three days, reaching the finish in a world-leading and personal-best one minute 42.08 seconds on Wednesday to edge reigning Olympic and world champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi by 1-100th of a second at the Bislett Games Diamond League competition in Oslo, Norway.
Edmonton’s Marco Arop couldn’t mount a kick in the final 100 metres and trailed by about four metres at the finish in third with a 1:43.33 clocking. On Sunday, he finished 41-100ths behind the victorious Lutkenhaus in second at the Stockholm Diamond League.
“I planned on staying back in second or third for most of the race and then executing my move but my last 100 metres is still not quite there yet,” Arop said. “I hope it will be for the next race.
“The men’s 800 metres is an amazing place right now and I’m so happy to be a part of it; it’s a really an exciting time.”
Stockholm was the season opener for Arop, whose later start outdoors is by design following a heavy workload in recent seasons and busy upcoming campaigns with worlds next year and Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
The 27-year-old’s 2025 season was highlighted by three Grand Slam Track victories in the 800, the 2024 Olympic silver medallist’s fourth straight Canadian title and third place at the Diamond League Final.
WATCH | Arop places 3rd behind Lutkenhaus and Wanyonyi in men’s 800m:
Olympic silver medallist Marco Arop finished third in the men’s 800-metre race at the Diamond League meet in Oslo. He finished in a time of 1:43.33, behind 17-year-old American Cooper Lutkenhaus, who ran a world-leading time of 1:42.08 and Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya.
In Wednesday’s race, Lutkenhaus made his move at little more than 200 metres from the finish line and passed Wanyonyi, coming off a second-place effort in Rabat on May 31.
Wanyonyi and Lutkenhaus pulled away from Arop at the top of the straightaway and waged a battle over the final metres, with Lutkenhaus looking at least twice to his left at a charging Wanyonyi and holding off the Kenyan for the victory.
“It was a very tough race and I had to dive for the line to be sure of the win,” said Lutkenhaus, who fell after crossing the line. “I knew [Wanyonyi] was on my shoulder and I was willing the line to come towards me. To beat the Olympic champion is awesome and it means a lot.”
Added Wanyonyi: “This boy [Lutkenhaus] is in good shape. I started the race in front and after 600 metres I tried to see who is coming to push me. Then I saw him passing me, so then I tried to respond. But my target today was to run my [season best and] to improve. The season is still early.”
Lutkenhaus will try to make it three wins to open the season at the July 4 Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meet in Eugene, Ore.
Watch coverage of the Wanda Diamond League stop in Oslo, Norway.
Familiar territory for Mitton
Meanwhile, there have been two constants for Canada’s Sarah Mitton for much of this outdoor season in women’s shot put: Placing third behind Chase Jackson and Jessica Schilder in whichever order and falling short of 20 metres.
It was Jackson of the United States prevailing Wednesday with a best throw of 20.74, followed by Schilder of the Netherlands in 20.11.
Mitton, from Brooklyn, N.S., quickly found herself in familiar territory as her first of six attempts measured 19.41 for third behind Jackson (20.74) who beat the meet record of 20.26 that Valerie Adams of New Zealand held since June 9, 2011. Schilder was second (19.93) after throwing 20.89 to win in Stockholm.
“She is the person we all look up to in the sport so it is kind of surreal,” Jackson said of Adams. “It was not so much that Jessica [Schilder] won in Stockholm but it is about the numbers. I really wanted to get over 21 [metres] as I know I have that [ability] from training.”
Mitton climbed to 19.78 on her second throw before a foul and 19.17 on her next two tries. Her longest effort of 19.89 followed on the fifth throw before another foul.
Sarah Mitton of Brooklyn, N.S., had her best throw of 19.89 metres to claim third spot in the women’s shot put, at the Diamond League meet in Oslo. American Chase Jackson won the event with her throw of 20.74 metres.
The five-time defending Canadian champion opened 2026 surpassing 20 metres at her first two indoor events but has only eclipsed the mark once in five outdoor competitions — 20.42 at the season opener on the Diamond League professional track and field circuit.
By comparison, Mitton reached 20 metres five times a year ago, including three consecutive performances in June and July.
Since winning in Portugal on May 3 this year, the 29-year-old has delivered four straight third-place finishes after six victories outdoors in 2025.
Gout Gout DL debut spoiled by sprinter Tebogo
Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo ruined the Diamond League debut of Australian prodigy Gout Gout.
Much of the pre-race build-up had focused on the senior Diamond League debut of 18-year-old Gout, but Tebogo quickly asserted his authority in the men’s 200m.
Blasting away from the young challenger and the rest of the field, the 2024 Paris Olympic gold medallist eased over the line in a commanding 19.84 seconds, while Gout finished sixth in 20.60. The victory followed Botswanan Tebogo’s second-place finish at the Rabat Diamond League.
“Today, we tried to do it differently,” Tebogo said. “I was about to run the proper curve because in Rabat we did not run it. I do not know what I was up to but I just knew I had that last gear to push in and just get in that sub-20.”
Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo won the men’s 200-metre race at the Diamond League meet in Oslo with a time of 19.84 seconds.
Tebogo offered advice on Gout’s transition to senior competition.
“First and foremost, he should not get comfortable racing with the seniors. He still has a long way to go,” Tebogo said. “He should by all means play with his age mates where he is a bit more comfortable because the more he runs, the more he pushes and the more injuries he is going to get.”
- The meeting concluded with a highly anticipated 400 hurdles duel between local favourite Karsten Warholm and Brazil’s Alison dos Santos. The pair matched each other stride for stride until the home straight, where Dos Santos pulled away with a strong finish to secure a comfortable victory in 46.89 seconds, leaving Warholm to settle for second.
Alison dos Santos won the 400-metre hurdles race at the Bislett Games in Oslo, defeating rival Karsten Warholm in front of his home crowd. It’s the third time dos Santos’ has defeated Warholm this season.
- Ethiopia’s Addisu Yihune held off a fierce late challenge from Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew to win the men’s 5,000 in a world-leading 12 minutes 47.62 seconds.
- In the women’s 100, Saint Lucian Olympic champion Julien Alfred overcame a slow start to secure a comfortable victory in a wind-assisted 10.76 seconds, finishing ahead of Britain’s Amy Hunt.
All Diamond League events will stream live on CBCSports.ca and on CBC Gem.
There will also be several events broadcast on CBC Sports Presents on CBC TV and streaming on the CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem platforms. For a full broadcast schedule of athletics events this season, click here.
Reigning Olympic 100-metre champion and 200m Olympic silver medallist Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia won the women’s 100m race at Diamond League Oslo meet, with a time of 10.76 seconds.
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