Melissa Bishop leads wire-to-wire to handily win Canadian 800m title

The defending IAAF World Championships silver medallist officially booked her ticket to London 2017 on Saturday.

Melissa Bishop won the women’s 800m in 2:00.26 at the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Ottawa at Terry Fox Facility. The 28-year-old, from nearby Eganville, Ont. was racing at the facility where she grew up training with the Ottawa Lions.

Post-race interview

Jenna Westaway finished second in 2:03.88 with Linsey Butterworth in third in 2:04.34. Bishop won by more than three seconds on a blustery day in the nation’s capital. Westaway has until July 16 to hit 2:01.00, the qualifying standard, if she wants to punch her ticket to London 2017 and the IAAF World Championships.

Bishop ran 2:03.80 in the preliminary round on Friday.

Results

Finals
1 Bishop, Melissa 88 Ottawa Lions TFC 2:00.26
1:00.192 (1:00.192) 2:00.257 (1:00.066)
2 Westaway, Jenna 94 Calgary Int’l 2:03.88
1:01.325 (1:01.325) 2:03.871 (1:02.546)
3 Butterworth, Lindsey 92 Coastal Track Club 2:04.34
1:01.182 (1:01.182) 2:04.340 (1:03.158)
4 Côté, Laurence 91 U. Laval 2:04.88
1:01.605 (1:01.605) 2:04.874 (1:03.270)
5 Aubry, Rachel 90 Speed River T & F 2:05.67
1:01.851 (1:01.851) 2:05.666 (1:03.816)
6 Kelly, Madeleine 95 U of Toronto TC 2:06.46
1:01.442 (1:01.442) 2:06.457 (1:05.015)
7 Smith, Jessica 89 Valley Royals TF 2:07.36
1:01.647 (1:01.647) 2:07.357 (1:05.711)
8 Whelan, Elizabeth 93 U of Toronto TC 2:09.52
1:02.039 (1:02.039) 2:09.513 (1:07.475)

The IAAF World Championships take place Aug. 4-13.

Other Canadian Running content from ACTF2017

– Brogan MacDougall, 16, puts on a show at Canadian Track Championships
– After freak accident, Matt Hughes hits IAAF world standard in the clutch
– Andrea Seccafien qualifies for IAAF World Championships unsponsored
– Mohammed Ahmed and Justyn Knight are an amazing 1-2 punch for Canadian athletics
– VIDEO: Thursday footage from the 2017 Canadian Track Championships
– Day one photos from the Canadian Track Championships
– Canadian Track and Field Championships apparel
– Andre De Grasse wins third straight Canadian 100m Championship
– Photos from day two of the Canadian Track and Field Championships
– The age of the Canadian 1,500m finalists spans nearly two decades
– Andre De Grasse has his entourage present in Ottawa
– Sub-10 100m, 20-flat 200m sprinter Aaron Brown and his Netflix picks

Useful links

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Webcast (free)

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