Canadians are in the hunt for Diamond League crowns

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The pinnacle of the 2025 track and field season is less than a month away, with the World Athletics Championships kicking off Sept. 13 in Tokyo. But, before the planet's top runners, jumpers and throwers gather in Japan, many of them will battle for a Diamond League championship over the next 10 days in Europe.

If you need a refresher, the Diamond League is track and field's premier pro tour. From April through late summer, athletes accumulate points based on their results in any of the 14 regular-season meets they attend, and the top point-getters in each discipline qualify for the Final. Then, the points go out the window in favour of a winner-take-all showdown to crown the Diamond League champion. Each winner gets a fancy trophy, a big cash prize and a wild-card entry for the world championships.

There are two regular-season stops remaining before this year's Final on Aug. 27 and 28 in Zurich. It will feature the top six in the season-long standings for each field event, the top eight in the track races ranging from 100m to 800m, and the top 10 for the 1,500m and longer, along with one wild card in each event. If there's a tie in points, the spot goes to the athletes with the best performance this season.

A total of $2.24 million US in prize money is up for grabs at the Final. $50,000 will go to the winners of the men's and women's 100m, men's 1,500m, women's 3,000m, women's 100m hurdles, men's 400m hurdles, men's pole vault and women's long jump, while all of the other champions get $30,000 apiece.

At last year's Final in Brussels, Canadian shot putter Sarah Mitton