BUDAPEST, Hungary – Marco Arop is a name Canada will not soon forget.
The top-ranked 800m runner in the world posted a blistering final 400m to bring home the nation’s first World Championships gold medal in the event on Saturday. The former Mississippi State standout is the second Bulldog individual to win gold at the World Athletics Championships, joining Anderson Peters who won the javelin in 2019 and 2022.
In addition to that pair, Jude Monye won Olympic gold in 2000 as a member of Nigeria’s 4x400m relay team and C.S. Cochran was a part of the United States’ gold-medal-winning 4x400m relay in 1924.
Marco Arop is a WORLD CHAMPION!
He takes home the crown in the 800m final at #WorldAthleticsChamps.
📺: @CNBC and @Peacock pic.twitter.com/MFdP4M25Fc
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 26, 2023
The world title effort showcased a new style from Arop, who is known for racing from the front of the pack and posting a speedy opening 400m. On Saturday, he dropped to the back of the pack for the opening lap, racing in dead last at the bell. He passed two athletes in the turn before his long stride took control down the back straightaway.
Arop was 0.52 seconds off the leader with 300m to go, but over 100m he took a 0.21 second lead and challenged anyone in the field to keep up. As he came down the homestretch, Arop looked up to the sky and spread his arms in celebration. His 1:44.24 was slower than in Thursday’s semifinal, but it was still quick enough for a comfortable gap of three-tenths of a second.
The race completes a steady climb for the Sudanese-born refugee who settled with his family in Edmonton before coming to Starkville for his college career. Arop was a two-time NCAA runner-up in the 800m with at MSU before going on to win Pan American Games gold and reaching the finals in his World Championships debut in 2019. He claimed his first global medal with a bronze performance last year before climbing to the top of the world rankings in 2023.
Prior to Arop, Canada’s best World Championships performance belonged to Gary Reed, who won silver in 2007. Reed also held the national record both indoors and outdoors until a pair of Bulldogs arrived. Brandon McBride shattered the MSU 800m records on his way to passing Reed for the indoor and outdoor Canadian records. Arop has…
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