Silver medalist Marco Arop of Team Canada celebrates after competing in the Men's 800m Final on day fifteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on Aug. 10, in Paris, France.Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Canada’s Marco Arop earned an Olympic silver medal in the men’s 800 metres, after a thrilling final push down the stretch Saturday night in Paris.
The race went down to the wire as the 25-year-old from Edmonton ran the two laps of the purple track inside Stade de France in 1 minute 41.20 seconds, finishing neck-and-neck with Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya, who clocked 1:41.19, just a sliver ahead. Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati took bronze in 1:41.50.
“It was a little bit bittersweet,” Arop said. “I wanted that gold medal so bad, but also, I couldn’t have asked for a better race.”
The Sudanese-born Canadian, who stands 6-foot-4, ran at the back of the pack for much of the first lap and then started to make his move. Arop had used a similar tactic at last year’s world championship in Budapest, launching an attack off the last bend in the final, going on to become Canada’s first world champ in the men’s 800 metres.
In the Olympic final on Saturday, Arop made things exciting again as he navigated through the pack and thrust himself into second place in the final 100 metres.
Wanyonyi had led the race from start to finish and was just a hair in front of the Canadian as the two men lurched over the finish line.
It was a personal best for Arop and a North American area record. His previous best time was 1:42.85.
He was a three-time All-American while competing for Mississippi State University.
Arop is a second-time Olympian. This is a huge step up from his debut in Tokyo three years ago. There, Arop had led wire to wire in his first heat but faded badly down the final stretch in his semi-final to finish seventh.
This time, Arop’s parents were in the Olympic stands, watching and celebrating – the first time they’d attended one of his races outside of Canada. It reminded him that they’d given him a better life by moving to Canada.
“I can never thank them enough,” he said. “They’ve sacrificed so much for me and my brothers.”
They had witnessed a special 800 metres. The Kenyan gold medalist also achieved a personal best in Paris. Arop was gracious about his rival.
“It’s not going to be the last time we have a race like that. Hopefully next time we race, it’ll be me on top,” Arop said. “But I’ve got to give credit where it’s due. The entire field was amazing and I’m going to look back at the race and watch it over and over again.”
Arop says he has his heart set on setting the world record.
“I think I’m definitely capable of it,” he said. “I’ve still got a few more races this year, so now I’ve got that target. It’s something that has been sitting in the back of my mind for a long time.”