4 reasons Brandon McBride can medal at worlds in the 800m
The men's 800m at the IAAF World Championships is a must-watch and Brandon McBride is a serious medal threat in London
Canada’s first shot at a medal at the IAAF World Championships comes on Tuesday. One medal could come from the men’s pole vault and Shawn Barber, the defending world champion. The other could come from Brandon McBride, who runs in the men’s 800m final at 4:35 p.m. EDT. (See streaming details here.)
McBride, 23, has looked smooth and controlled through the rounds and is not afraid of running from the front. Tactically, front-running keeps you safe from the traffic behind and also allows a clear path to run the shortest possible distance in the 800m. (Running on the inside of the lane is preferred to running wide.)
This will be McBride’s first senior global final. Even so, here are four positive signs for why the Canadian can reach the podium.
The Olympic and world champion and world record holder is out
David Rudisha, the best 800m runner of all-time, is injured and not competing in London. A near-sure medal contender in London, his absence opens up a spot on the podium.
All three medallists from Rio are absent
Rudisha, Taoufik Makhloufi and Clayton Murphy, the top-three in Rio, did not qualify or pulled out because of injury from the IAAF World Championships. Poland’s Adam Kszczot is the only returning 800m medallist from the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing.
Quick stats
2016 Olympic winning time: 1:42.15
2015 IAAF World Championships winning time: 1:45.84
McBride’s PB: 1:43.95
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McBride’s PB is from the Olympic stadium, the London 2017 venue
The Windsor, Ont. athlete is the second-fastest 800m runner ever in Canada with a lifetime best of 1:43.95. Gary Reed, the silver medallist at the 2007 IAAF World Championships, is the Canadian record holder having run 1:43.68. The ability to go sub-1:44 bodes well for McBride, who also has blazing 400m speed with a lifetime best of 45.89. Athletes should expect to go through 400m in the 800m in sub-50-seconds, which McBride nearly did in the semifinal.
McBride has the third-fastest time in the world this year among the London 2017 finalists
With a seasonal best of 1:44.41, set on July 21 in Monaco, only Nijel Amos and Kipyegon Bett have run faster than McBride outdoors in 2017. Amos is a wildcard, having won silver at the 2012 London Olympics in a scorching 1:41.73, which makes him the fourth-fastest ever. Amos, 23, did not qualify for the men’s 800m final in Rio and has been inconsistent since 2012.
Start list
| 2 | 892 | Mohammed AMAN |  ETH |
1:45.40 | 1:42.37 |
| 3 | 966 | Kyle LANGFORD |  GBR |
1:45.45 | 1:45.45 |
| 4 | 919 | Pierre-Ambroise BOSSE |  FRA |
1:44.72 | 1:42.53 |
| 5 | 707 | Nijel AMOS |  BOT |
1:43.18 | 1:41.73 |
| 6 | 1126 | Kipyegon BETT |  KEN |
1:44.04 | 1:43.76 |
| 7 | 760 | Brandon MCBRIDE |  CAN |
1:44.41 | 1:43.95 |
| 8 | 1244 | Adam KSZCZOT |  POL |
1:45.21 | 1:43.30 |
| 9 | 713 | Thiago ANDRÈ |  BRA |
1:44.81 | 1:44.81 |
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