Marco Arop has given Canada a glimmer of hope for gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics after advancing to the semifinal of 800 meters in his heat on Wednesday.
A year after winning the gold medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championship in Eugene, Oregon, the World Champion finished in second place at the 800- meter in his heat in a timing of One minute, 45.74 seconds, 23 seconds, lagging behind first place Eliott Crestan (1:45.51) of Belgium.
In his post-race interview with Devin Heroux of CBC Sports, he said, “The goal for Wednesday was not being so aggressive” early in the race and place in the top three. 
The Edmonton-based Marco Arop remains one of the country’s major hopes after putting in a worthy performance to showcase his chances of winning his first Olympic medal. After coming close at Tokyo 2020 last time, with a 14th overall ranking in a field of 24, the Canadian athlete narrowly missed out on the final by 16-100ths behind Kenya’s Emmanuel Korir. He finished seventh in the overall ranking.
Arop’s commitment since the elimination has been inspiring after emerging as a potential gold medal candidate for Canada at the Paris 2024 Olympics, courtesy of his hard work. Although he narrowly missed the final, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics demonstrated his character excellently. Despite this heartbreak, he has continued to work his way to success by winning bronze at the 2022 World Championships. This was followed by clinching gold recently at the World Championships in 2023.
Although he holds the Canadian record in the 800 in 1:42.85, he has yet to reach that feat at the Paris 2024 Olympics. If he can replicate this performance, Canada has a genuine chance to have a shot for the gold this year.
Good start for Canadian athletes in Paris 2024
After finishing fifth in her heat on Wednesday at 12.80 seconds, Mariam Abdul Rashid has advanced to the semifinals of the women’s 100-metre hurdles at the Paris 2024 Olympics. After seeing how she has performed, Canada has rekindled its hopes.
The three-time Canadian 100-meter hurdles champion, competing in her debut Olympics, finished eighth in her heat in 13.40 seconds. Michelle Harrison will now compete in the repechage round, where she can bring herself back in the competition.
