Quebec runner destroys three-decade-old Canadian 600m record
Penn State University's Olivier Desmeules wrote his name in the history books on Saturday at the Penn State National Open
Photo by:
Kevin Morris
After missing the 600m Canadian record last indoor season by just one-tenth of a second, Quebec City’s Olivier Desmeules stormed past the mark at Saturday’s Penn State National Open in State College, Penn. The Canadian middle-distance runner clocked an astounding 1:15.59, smashing the three-decade-old national record of 1:16.10, set by Manitoba’s Byron Goodwin in 1995.
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“The race felt effortless,” Desmeules told Canadian Running. “I saw 47 seconds on the clock at 400m and knew I would break it.” The 24-year-old specializes in the 400m, 600m and 800m disciplines, boasting personal bests of 47.53 (400m) and 1:46.97 (800m).
Feeling good on race day came as a surprise to Desmeules. He had run an 800m the day before, couldn’t keep up with his teammates by halfway, and told his coach he wasn’t ready to run the 600m. “To be completely honest, I didn’t want to race,” he said. But the next morning, I felt incredible and asked to be put back in. It was completely unexpected!” His time now stands as the fifth fastest in Penn State program history, highlighting the depth of the university’s middle-distance program.
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This is Desmeules’s last year competing in the NCAA. “For my last year at Penn State, I changed a lot my training,” he said. “[I’m] focusing more on aerobic work, which is my biggest weakness, while avoiding deep lactic sessions, even if those are my favourites!”
The runner’s adjusted training program is paying off–he opened his 2025 season by running a blistering 800m personal best, which was his first time under 1:47. The performance, which took place on Jan. 18, stands as Canada’s fifth-fastest indoor 800m and the fourth-fastest in Penn State history.
“My only goal this season is to win NCAA indoor,” Desmeules says. “It might sound delusional, given that my [top] mark won’t even qualify–I’m 12th with 1:46.97. But I would rather chase something big than settle for less.” The 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships take place on March 14 and 15 at the Virginia Beach Sports Center in Virginia Beach, Va.
After indoors, Desmeules says his focus will shift to running fast enough outdoors to continue competing post-collegiately. And if that breakthrough doesn’t come, he says he’ll find a way to balance training with a career in finance.
Michael Hussey takes down national U20 600m record
At the same meet, the University of Saskatchewan’s Michael Hussey also hurtled to a 600m national record in the U20 division, clocking 1:18.17 to take fourth in the event. The previous record of 1:18.39 was set by Manitoba’s Alejandro Civetta in 2024. Hussey smashed his former personal best of 1:19.74 by nearly a second and a half.
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