2013 Leaside High School graduate Micha Powell recently returned from Guangzhou, China and in September, hopes to travel to Tokyo. Why is this young woman travelling to two such distant locations in one year?
Micha is a world-class 400-metre sprinter who has represented Canada at major track meets, such as the World Relays Championships in Guangzhou, and is looking to do so again at the World Championships in Tokyo.
Micha started high school in 2010 with a desire to play tennis, but a realization that she loved track and the power of family genetics made her switch focus to cross-country and track two years later. That’s not surprising, since her mother, Rosaline (Rosey) Edeh, the anchor of the CTV morning show in Ottawa, is a three-time Canadian Olympian and former 400-metre hurdle Canadian record holder. Her father, Mike Powell, still holds the world record in long jump. Micha says it might have taken her some time to find her way to the track as her parents’ accomplishments are “a lot to live up to.”
But Micha flourished in running with the help of the team dynamic and encouragement of coach Helen Panayiotou (see Leaside Life, June 2025). She won several medals at school meets and as a result, was offered a scholarship at the University of Maryland, which she attended from 2013 to 2017. There she trimmed her 55-second 400-metre to 51 seconds and made the Olympic team in 2016. Micha credits her coach, Andrew Valmon, with helping her to grow in the sport. She was an all-American for indoor track in 2016 and 2017, and she still holds her school’s indoor and outdoor 400-metre records. She is happy that the university provided her with both a journalism degree and “bigger and better opportunities” in track and field.
Since the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2017 University Games, Micha has been on the 2018 NACAC team, coming third in the 4x400m relay, was the Commonwealth Games champion in the 4x400m in 2022, and seventh in the World Relays Championships in China this past May.
Micha decided to write about her experiences in her book, Sprinting Through Setbacks, co-written with sportswriter Molly Hurford, because she “wanted to share what the journey to becoming a world-class athlete really looks like behind the medals and highlight reels.” In it, she explores the highs and lows for young athletes, especially girls, to show that “the path to success is rarely linear.”
The book is structured around 11 pivotal races in her career to reflect on what she learned from each and how they helped to shape her as both a sprinter and an athlete. Chapters deal with topics like grit, mental health, self-doubt, imposter syndrome and unexpected obstacles. Each chapter includes a workbook section so that readers can “take the journey” alongside Micha.
Since the book was launched last fall at A Different Booklist, a Black-owned bookstore and cultural hub on Bathurst St. in Toronto, Micha says the response has been “incredibly heartwarming” as she has heard from athletes, coaches and others who report that the book helped them “reframe how they see failure, not as an end, but as part of the path.” The launch itself was “one of the most fulfilling moments” of her life, and she has gone on to share her message with school and corporate groups.
Currently, Micha is training both physically and mentally to prepare for Canadian Championships at the end of July and the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
