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Weekend roundup: Canadian hurdler hits Olympic standard in Louisiana

Canadian hurdler Mariam Abdul-Rashid, marathoner Cam Levins and 800m runners Marco Arop and Aurora Rynda headline a weekend of stellar performances

Mariam Abdul-Rashid Photo by: James Rhodes (@jrhodesathletics)
April 29, 2024
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It was another busy weekend on the track and roads for many Canadian athletes pursuing their Paris 2024 Olympic dreams. On Saturday, a Canadian hurdler from Oshawa, Ont., Mariam Abdul-Rashid, punched her ticket to Paris with a huge personal best in the women’s 100m hurdles at the LSU Invitational in Baton Rouge, La.

Abdul-Rashid recorded a new personal best of 12.69 seconds, smashing her previous mark of 12.82 by more than a tenth of a second. She placed second in the race from lane 9, eclipsing the Olympic standard of 12.77 seconds. She is the first Canadian in the event to hit the Olympic standard and one of only 25 hurdlers worldwide.

Hitting the Olympic standard does not guarantee Olympic selection, but it greatly increases the odds for Abdul-Rashid. The only scenario in which she might not be selected is if three Canadian 100m hurdlers were to run faster than her mark and also beat her at the Bell Canadian Track and Field Olympic Trials in June.

Abdul-Rashid first represented Team Canada last summer at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. She had several breakout performances to start 2024, reaching the semi-finals in the women’s 60m hurdles at the World Indoor Championships and placing fourth.

Cam Levins places eighth at Istanbul Half Marathon

The Canadian record holder for the half-marathon and marathon returned to the roads in Turkey on Sunday for the Istanbul Half. The now three-time Canadian Olympian placed eighth overall in 60 minutes and 38 seconds, only 20 seconds shy of his national record time.

This is the second-fastest half-marathon time of Levins’s career, behind only his Canadian record time of 60:18 from the Vancouver First Half in 2023. This is a sign of things to come for the 35-year-old, who’s already received an early nomination from Athletics Canada to the Paris Olympic team for the men’s marathon.

The month after he ran his Canadian record of 60:18, he set the marathon record of 2:05:36 at the 2023 Tokyo Marathon, placing fifth overall. With the Paris Olympics less than 14 weeks away, it is clear Canada’s top marathoner is in tip-top shape. 

Aurora Rynda runs breakthrough 800m at Drake Relays

A former University of Michigan standout from Toronto, Aurora Rynda, ran a huge personal best to win the women’s 800m event at the 114th running of the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. Rynda smashed her previous personal best of 2:01.35 from 2021, running two-flat for the first time (2:00.97), inching her closer to the women’s Olympic standard of 1:59.30. 

The 23-year-old said on social media this result has been a long time coming, and is excited things are coming together at the right time. Rynda could be a name to watch in the Canadian women’s 800m picture as we get closer to the Canadian Olympic Trials in June. 

Marco Arop runs crazy 800m on the roads in Germany

It’s another week of the outdoor track and field season, and another week of Edmonton’s Marco Arop delivering something sensational. After setting a temporary 800m world lead at the Xiamen Diamond League last week, the 25-year-old flew to Germany to race at the Adidas Adizero #RaceToRecords event in Nuremberg, Germany.

Arop donned his road flats and dominated the competitive 800m field, which included the 2024 world indoor 800m champion, American Bryce Hoppel, crossing the finish line in 1:44.30. With this impressive performance, Arop is charging full steam ahead to Paris, where he will undoubtedly be the gold-medal favourite in the men’s 800m event.

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