Canada's Justyn Knight sprints to 3,000-metre win at Millrose Games

Canada's Justyn Knight surged to a first-place finish in the men's indoor 3,000 metres at the Millrose Games in New York City on Saturday.

The 23-year-old Toronto native clocked seven minutes 46.36 seconds to edge American Joe Klecker (7:47.57), while Jordan Gusman of Matla (7:48.17) set a new national mark to claim third.

Knight's personal-best time of 7:45.86 was set at the 2018 Millrose Games.

Toronto's Justyn Knight claims top spot in men's 3,000 metres:

Toronto's Justyn Knight tops men's 3,000m podium in New York City

5 years ago

Duration 2:13

Canadian Justyn Knight claimed the top spot in the men's 3,000m race at the Millrose Games from New York City.

Meanwhile, Gabriela DeBues-Stafford continued her attack on the Canadian record books.

The 24-year-old from Toronto sliced more than five seconds off her own national indoor mile record to finish fourth in the women's Wanamaker Mile. On the way to that feat, she reached 1,500 metres in 4:00.80 to take down Nicole Sifuentes' 4:07.61 national time.

DeBues-Stafford crossed the finish in four minutes 19.73 seconds for fifth place, lowering her previous mark of 4:24.80, set at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on Jan. 26, 2019. 

Record-filled 2019 season

American Elle Purrier won in a United States-record 4:16.85. Germany's Konstanze Klosterhalfen was second in 4:17.26, while Jemma Reekie of Great Britain — DeBues-Stafford's training partner in Scotland — was third (4:17.88).

DeBues-Stafford rewrote the national middle-distance record books last season, setting new marks in the 1,500, mile and 5,000 outdoors, and mile and 5,000 metres indoors. She became the first Canadian woman to dip under the four-minute mark in the 1,500, and then she went on to shatter her own record in finishing sixth at the world championships in September in Doha with time of 3:56.12.

Purrier's time on Saturday was the second-fastest indoor mile ever, behind Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba world record of 4:13:31, set in 2016.

"I'm just so surprised," said Purrier. "I'm really happy and really excited."

Canada's Staehli 2nd in women's 3,000m

In the women's 3,000, Julie-Anne Staehli of Lucknow, Ont. also powered onto the podium with a silver.

The 26-year-old clocked 8:49.01, but was caught at the finish line by Allie Ostrander (8:48.94) of the U.S. who posted a personal-best 8:48.94.

Staehli was coming off a 8:47.97 PB at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston on Jan. 24, a little more than a second off Jessica O'Connell's Canadian record of 8:46.50.

WATCH | Julie-Anne Staehli takes 2nd in women's 3,000:

Canadian Staehli races to second place finish in the Millrose 3,000m

5 years ago

Duration 2:37

26-year-old Julie-Anne Staehli finished in 2nd place in the women's 3,000m race at the Millrose Games from New York City.

Mexico's Laura Galvan Rodriguez rounded out the top three with her own PB of 8:49.74.

Vancouver resident Regan Yee, who ran a 8:58.25 PB to open her season on Jan. 18 in Seattle, Wash., lowered her tiime to 8:57.84 for eighth place on Saturday.

The 24-year-old was fifth in the 3,000 steeplechase at the Pan Am Games last summer in Peru and later competed in the event at the track and field championships in Doha, Qatar.

O'Connell, a 2016 Olympian from Calgary who set the women's Canadian record in 8:46.50 last year at the Millrose Games, did not finish Saturday's race.

Other Canadian results:

• Maya Stephens (Toronto), women's 400 — 5th, 55.04 seconds
• Ben Thorne (Kitimat, B.C.) men's mile race walk — 4th, 6:22.41