The brave souls who braved the rain until the end of the evening were rewarded with three epic finals on Saturday at the Claude-Robillard sports complex.
In conclusion, they witnessed another breathtaking performance by Marco Arop, the 800m world champion who did not come to the Montreal Athletics Trials to make up the numbers.
The Edmonton native dominated the race from start to finish, completing the two laps in 1:43.71, a hair slower than his championship record set the day before in the semi-finals, and the sixth-best performance in the world this year.
“Who needs a rabbit?” » teased announcer Laurent Godbout after the winner’s interviews. “I have to be my own bunny sometimes!” » replied Arop, all smiles in his yellow uniform.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Marco Arop
Eliminated in the semi-final after getting too carried away at the start of the event in Tokyo in 2021, Arop wanted to challenge himself for this national event, his penultimate before the Paris Olympics. Clearly, the two-time world medalist is brimming with confidence.
“Last time I had a world championship under my belt,” recalled the Sudanese. “It’s the same level of competition, but I think I was maybe too much in my head. This time I feel a lot more confident, more composed, more relaxed. And I know that if I stick to what I’m capable of, I’ll get through it. And I don’t need to do something I’ve never done before.”
Arop finished just under three seconds ahead of Quebecer Zakary Mama-Yari of Saint-Laurent Sélect.
Earlier in the women’s 800m, Jazz Shukla surprised herself with an Arop-like routine, running through both loops alone in the lead before cutting the line in 1min 58.20, a huge personal best that took her well under the automatic qualification standard. She could not hold back the tears, having taken a break from athletics between 2018 and 2022 after a brilliant junior career, suffering from injuries and illness.
Without pushing the machine, Christopher Morales-Williams also confirmed his first Olympic passport by flying over the 400 m in 45.44, or 1.39 seconds slower than his time of May 11 which still earns him first world rank in 2024 .
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Christopher Morales-Williams during the 400m final
After his victory, the Vaughan, Ontario native performed a maneuver inspired by a video game he was playing before his race! “I love coding video games, it’s great! »
More seriously, the NCAA champion showed off a uniform provided by Adidas, a new sponsor. The 19-year-old is certainly a star in the making and is aiming for the podium in Paris.
All his family members wore sweaters with his image and the number 13, the birthday of his grandfather who recently died.
“It was his dream at the time to play for Ecuador at the national level. To follow that dream generations later and compete for my national team, I feel like I’m making his dream come true for him. That’s wonderful. »
The Trials will conclude on Sunday at Claude-Robillard with the return of Audrey Leduc in the 200m and the 1500m finals for Charles Philibert-Thiboutot and Simone Plourde.