Home > Runs & Races

Weekend recap: Andre De Grasse runs 9.99, Athing Mu clocks NCAA 800m record

This past weekend provided plenty of outdoor track and field action as several Canadians ran to big results

Photo by: Maxine Gravina

This past weekend was perhaps the most packed of the 2021 outdoor racing season so far, with events held across the U.S. and the world. Eliud Kipchoge won the NN Mission Marathon in the Netherlands, Andre De Grasse ran his first 100m of the year and Athing Mu broke yet another record, this time in an outdoor 800m. We’ve got all these results and more in a weekend recap that is filled to the brim with exciting and inspiring results. 

The NN Mission Marathon

On Sunday, Kipchoge proved that he’s still the man to beat in the marathon after winning the NN Mission Marathon in 2:04:30. Kipchoge ran with fellow Kenyan Jonathan Korir and a pacer until the 30K checkpoint, then he took off on his own for the final 12K. He crossed the line more than two minutes ahead of Korir, who finished in second in a PB of 2:06:40. In the women’s race, it was Germany’s Katharina Steinrueck who took the win, breaking the tape in 2:25:59. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNz7mK_MG6h/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Athing Mu does it again 

Mu continued her incredible freshman season with a dominant win at the Michael Johnson Invitational in Texas on Saturday, winning the women’s 800m in an NCAA and American U20 record of 1:57.73. Mu’s result, which bettered her own outdoor 800m PB by more than three seconds, is well under the Olympic standard of 1:59.50, and it is also the current world-leading time for 2021. While this is Mu’s first outdoor collegiate record, it’s her fourth overall on the year, adding to her three indoor NCAA bests in the 600m, 800m and 4 x 400m. 

RELATED: Texas A&M freshman Athing Mu is becoming track’s next big star

De Grasse’s season opener 

In his first 100m of the year, De Grasse eked out a sub-10-second result, stopping the clock at 9.99 at Saturday’s Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Florida. De Grasse finished in second place to American Justin Gatlin, who won the race in 9.98 seconds. World 200m champion Noah Lyles of the U.S. also raced the 100m in Florida, finishing in fourth in 10.08. De Grasse ran in the 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m relays as well on Saturday. His team took the win in the 4 x 100m in 39.19 seconds, and he finished in second in the longer relay in 3:03.41. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CN0JagGApMQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Lumb and Watson show off stellar form 

On the opposite side of the country, Canada’s Kieran Lumb lined up to race a 1,500m in Azusa, Calif. Finishing just behind James Young, who won the race in 3:37.72, Lumb posted a massive PB of 3:38.21 to grab a second-place result. His time smashed his previous PB by more than seven seconds, and it brings him much closer to hitting the Olympic 1,500m standard of 3:35.00.  

RELATED: Caster Semenya wins 5,000m in South Africa

At the West Coast Classic in Arizona, Sage Watson won her first 400m hurdle race of the year, finishing well ahead of her next-closest competitor in a time of 55.93. The result is Watson’s best in the event since her performances at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, where she set the Canadian national 400mH record of 54.32 seconds in the semi-finals. She ended up breaking 55 seconds in the finals, too, placing eighth in the world. 

Check out the latest buyer's guide:

The best trainers in Canada under $150

We curated the best performance trainers under $150 to meet your 2024 running goals, while staying on budget