The CTFL’s men’s and women’s 800m are both incredibly tight fields filled to the brim with highly competitive athletes. 

As the first meet of the 2024 season is set in Montreal on May 18, these are the athletes to look out for.

Women’s 800m

Last season’s top performer is Bears’ runner, Sadie-Jane Hickson. Hickson has a 2:04.84 personal best which she achieved in June 2023, during a successful CTFL campaign. 

In the championship last season, Hickson placed second behind Huskies’ runner Hallee Knelson. Thanks to a stellar season, the silver medal wasn’t enough to lower Hickson’s overall ranking, but it might be enough to motivate her to win the championship this season.

Spitfires’ athlete –  and this season’s favourite – Sydney Smith was ranked third overall in the women’s 800m field after the 2023 season wrapped up. With the top ranked free mark, the best preliminary result and a personal best of 2:03.76, Smith’s only downfall was not competing in the championship. 

Smith, an Ottawa local, will look to top the standings this season.

Men’s 800m

Last season’s top performer in the men’s 800m, Huskies’ athlete Yasser Riad, spent the first 650 meters of the 2023 championship race on the tails of Bears athlete Dylan Popejoy and Huskies teammate Cole Hannam. That was until Riad made a daring break for the finish around the last bend. 

Riad’s personal record of 1:50.46 makes him a dangerous contender in the CTFL, and he will certainly be a frontrunner in the men’s 800m this season.

Arctics’ runner and this season’s favourite in the event, Michael Petersen, set a time of 1:49.71 during the 2022 CTFL championship where he won gold. This was still over a second shy of his personal best of 1:48.04 set in June 2016.

Last year, however, Petersen had a rough championship. Petersen fell far behind the eventual champion, Riad, for a final mark of 1:57.67. 

Bouncing back to his previous form is certainly in his wheelhouse and would certainly thrust Petersen back into championship contention this season. He’s already on pace to do just that, throwing down a respectable season best of 1:50.35 during the indoor season.

This season’s dark horse is Spitfires’ runner, Marcus Kemp. Kemp is a brand new CTFL Draftee heading into his first season with the Spitfires. He’s never run a race in the CTFL, but Kemp runs a blistering time of 1:49.17, a mark he achieved in June 2023. 

As a division 1 NCAA athlete, Kemp runs with Eastern Michigan University, and he is more than capable of doing damage in the discipline this season.