Canadian Marco Arop won the silver medal in the men’s 800 metres event on Saturday at the Paris Olympics.
Arop crossed the finish line in a time of 1:41.20, which is an Americas record. It is his best performance of his career and the fourth best of all time.
Arop, from Edmonton, came within one hundredth of a second of winning the gold medal, just behind Kenyan Emmanuel Wanyonyi (1:14.19). Wanyonyi also had his best race of his career and the third best in history.
Algerian Djamel Sedjati won the bronze medal with a time of 1:41.50.
Arop, the reigning world champion, started the race at the back of the pack to conserve his energy. On the second and final lap, he picked up the pace and overtook several opponents.
Last in line for the 25-year-old was Wanyonyi, but after a few nudges, Arop crossed the line in second place.
Arop, who was racing in the ninth lane, finished second in his heat in the first round and won his semi-final to advance to the final.
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