Melissa Bishop-Nriagu opens indoor season with a win
Bishop has officially begun her Tokyo 2020 Olympic campaign
Melissa Bishop began her Tokyo 2020 campaign over the weekend with a 600m win at the University of Michigan Wolverine Open. The runner finished in 1:29.89, three seconds ahead of second place, in a very strong start to her season.
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RELATED: Melissa Bishop-Nriagu’s go-to base-season workouts
This is the runner’s first indoor season since her daughter Corinne was born, in July, 2018. Bishop didn’t end up qualifying for the 2019 World Championships, posting a season’s best time of 2:01.10, which was just shy of the world standard at 2:00.60.
Bishop is coming off a strong base season that she describes as follows: “Base season first and foremost builds so much strength. Especially come late-season races in July and August, you fall back on your strength. If you look at your training plan as a pyramid, a good foundation sets you up for a strong peak. If you build a strong base, that peak is much higher.”
Indoor races can count toward an athlete’s World Rank, so it’s important for a runner to get in a few good races before their outdoor season. The indoor season, once considered borderline optional, is now integral for making an Olympic team. It’s also important to keep in mind that it’s a World Championships year for the indoor track, another place that runners can grab huge points.
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Other Canadian results from the Wolverine Open
Aiyanna Stiverne – 60m, 3rd place, 7.59s
200m, 2nd place, 24.04
Sonia Gaskin – 800m, 1st place, 2:06.35
Jamie Phelan – 800m, 3rd place, 2:10.81
Daniel Harper – 400m, 4th place, 48.32
For more on the Canadian indoor scene, be sure to check out and subscribe for The Watchlist newsletter. Its focus is on the U Sports season, but will occasionally feature the Canadian pros.
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