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Marco Arop seems to be peaking at the right time. The Canadian ran a 1:43.61 performance in his hometown of Edmonton at Foote Field during the National Track Tour.
The 23-year-old ran the third-fastest 800-metre race in the world so far this year.
The national record is 1:43.20 which was run in 2018 by Toronto native Brandon McBride.
🚨MARCO AROP🚨
— Athletics Canada (@AthleticsCanada) July 3, 2022
1:43.61 – 800m – 3rd fastest time in the 🌎 this season
Season’s Best / Facility Record
CROWD GOES WILD! pic.twitter.com/vJ56pSq5AZ
Robert Heppenstall finished well back in second place at 1:46.44, while Charles Philibert-Thiboutot clocked a 1:47.79 performance. Philibert-Thiboutot has rounded nicely into form as well. The 800m race was an under-distance event for the 1500m specialist. The Quebec native has also been running very well at the 5000m distance. On April 16, he broke the national 5K road record in Boston clocking a 13:35 performance. His 5000m best is 13:12.76, the fourth-fastest by a Canadian all-time behind Mo Ahmed (12:47.20), Justyn Knight (12:51.93), and Luc Bruchet (13:12.56).
Ahmed and Knight are the two fastest at the distance in North America, of all time.
For Heppenstall, a 25-year-old Hamilton, Ontario native, he has also been running well in 2022, having set two new personal bests of 1:46.05 and 3:37.51 in the 800m and 1500m events, respectively. The Wake Forest University grad was alone for the business end of the race, which is a difficult spot to be in. Perhaps in another situation, he would have approached his lifetime best.
The meet is named the Pre-World Championships Invitational.
Results
Men’s 800 Metre
| PL | Name | Time | |||
| 1 |  | Marco Arop CAN | 1:43.61 | ||
| 2 | | Robert Heppenstall CAN | 1:46.44 | ||
| 3 | | Charles Philibert-Thibou CAN | 1:47.79 | ||
| 4 | | Cameron Proceviat CAN | 1:48.23 | ||
| — | | Mats Swanson CAN | DNF |
The 2022 Eugene World Athletics Championships begin July 15.
