The competition did not have the prestige of the Diamond League of Monaco, where Charles Philibert-Thiboutot had his entries a few years ago.
But the peloton was of high quality, the hares well prepared and the conditions ideal, last Saturday, at the FAST5000 meeting in Montesson, near Paris. There were even fireworks!
Philibert-Thiboutot had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time and he did not miss it. Eight years after a personal best in the 1500m recorded at the Louis-II stadium in Monaco, the 32-year-old runner has finally managed to improve his mark. A deliverance.
“These last two years, I still had good results, but you are never completely satisfied, even if it remains positive seasons, he noted two days after his performance. But from 2017 to 2020, the balance sheets were quite negative. It’s as if in one race, all that has been erased and has been worth it. That’s the beauty of sport. »
Philibert-Thiboutot stopped the clock at 3:33.54, almost three-quarters of a second better than his previous high of 3:34.23, which he had almost equaled a year later, still at the meeting. Herculis of Monaco (3 min 24.24 sec).
Bad start
It was, however, a very bad start. Starting from the inside, the only Canadian at the start was quickly swallowed up by the falling peloton. He was able to avoid a fall in front of him and a rival who got knocked over by another – middle distance can be a contact sport.
I was good last, five or ten meters behind. It really wasn’t a good start, but I kept my cool. I was lucky because the race was fast and the peloton stretched out. I didn’t have to go around anyone and only came up gradually.
Charles Philibert-Thiboutot
When he got past Narve Gilje Nordas, in fourth or fifth place, he knew he was in the right place. A specialist in the 5000m, the Norwegian is a protege of Gjert Ingebrigsten, father of the formidable Henrik, Filip and Jakob, who is experiencing a remarkable rise in the 1500m this year. He stuck to his sneakers.
After three laps, Philibert-Thiboutot read 2 min 49 s on the dial, a happy omen.
“It was exactly the same split time as I had in Monaco in 2015. I felt 100 times better. I said to myself: “If you hold on, it will be fast.” »
While Nordas soared to victory in 3:32.39, Philibert-Thiboutot kept up the pace over the final 300 meters to resist the comeback of his pursuers, finishing second. He quickly fell into the arms of bronze medalist, Frenchman Jimmy Gressier, a friend who received him this week at INSEP in Paris.
“A new PB (Editor’s note: personal besti.e. personal best time) over 1500 m after eight years, I will not lie: it feels good in ***********”, published the Quebecer a few minutes later on his Twitter message, with lots of smiles.
It may sound weird, but from a philosophical point of view, as you get older, the days are longer, but the years go by faster. Monaco in 2015 was yesterday, but at the same time, it’s like in another life. So many things happened between the two.
Charles Philibert-Thiboutot
Passing time
The Rio Olympics semi-finalist (2016) suffered a foot injury in 2019, among other things, which prevented him from running for six months. Back pain also slowed him down, forcing him to completely overhaul his stride. In 2021, a spike in the race probably caused him to miss qualifying for the last Tokyo Olympics. He reached the clock three weeks after the deadline…
Athletics Canada removed him from the federal funding and support program. The main interested party pleaded that he continued his progress, as evidenced by his times in the 5000 m, a new string to his bow.
At the last Worlds in Oregon last summer, he missed the 1500m final by a few hundredths. “I’ve been in good shape for the past two years. I was mostly living in frustration because the occasion [de courir vite] did not come. »
Rare in his thirties to achieve a personal best in his discipline, Philibert-Thiboutot also reached the minimum for the World Championships in Budapest at the end of August. He will nevertheless have to confirm his participation in the Canadian Championships in Langley, a month earlier. He points to four hundredths of the Paris Olympic standard, which he will be able to achieve from 1er July.
The half-back also recovers his status as the fastest Quebecer in history over 1,500 m. Officially, his 2015 time still stood, but William Paulson, his Université Laval Rouge et Or teammate, did better twice last year (3 min 33.97 s).
The records committee of the Quebec Athletics Federation, however, did not recognize this time since Paulson, who has dual Canadian and British nationality, was not a resident of Quebec.
“Even if Will grew up in Great Britain, he was immersed in Quebec culture, pleaded Philibert-Thiboutot. The federation is a little funny, but for me, it was Will who had it. »
The protege of coach Félix-Antoine Lapointe now holds all the provincial marks from 1,000 to 10,000 m. “If I could finish my career with this painting, it would be a great achievement for me. »
But he is aiming higher: the Canadian record of 3 min 31.71 s (Kevin Sullivan, 2000), which he has been thinking about since 2016, but above all a good performance in Hungary next summer.
“We’ve been banging our heads against the walls for a long time to achieve this personal best, but the fact remains that the final objective is to be competitive at the Worlds, specifies the one who now points to third place in all time in the country. If I want to make a top 5, it will take 3 min 30 s in the final. That’s the goal, ultimately. »
Charles Philibert-Thiboutot lines up Sunday for the Stanislas de Nancy meeting before returning to Quebec to get back to work for the Canadian Championships. On June 29, he will work on his pure speed by taking the start of the 800 m of the Classique d’athlétisme de Montréal, at the Claude-Robillard sports complex. The heart as light as its stride.