After freak accident, Matt Hughes hits IAAF world standard in the clutch
Matt Hughes discusses the injury he overcame to run to victory at the 2017 Canadian Track and Field Championships
Bowerman Track Club’s Matt Hughes, who injured his knee running into a fire hydrant earlier this year, raced a 3,000m steeplechase for the first time since the Rio Olympics on Thursday.
Hughes won in 8:30.91 at the Canadian Track and Field Championships and hit the IAAF World Championships standard by a little more than a second, dipping under 8:32. The Canadian record holder in the event did not run nationals in 2016 but Athletics Canada picked him to run at the Rio Olympics.
On Thursday evening at Terry Fox Facility in Ottawa, Hughes bested Gareth Hadfield and Chris Dulhanty, who finished in 8:47.56 and 8:53.77, respectively. Hughes told the media post-race that he has done very little steeplechase-specific work and that he wants to break his own Canadian record in the hurdling event. He injured his knee in March while running in Portland, Ore., the home base of the Bowerman Track Club, a group which also includes Mohammed Ahmed, the 2017 Canadian 5,000m champion.
By winning, and hitting standard, Hughes secured his spot for Canada at the IAAF World Championships in London in August.
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
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