Canadian middle-distance sensation Marco Arop is keeping his sights firmly set on the podium rather than chasing world records. While his blistering 1:41.20 finish at the Paris Olympics last summer put him just a hair’s breadth from David Rudisha’s legendary 800m world record of 1:40.91, Arop insists his focus is not solely on breaking records.
Fresh off a dominant win in the 800m at the Grand Slam Track event in Kingston, Jamaica, Arop clocked 1:45.13 to hold off Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who finished second in 1:46.44. Just a day earlier, Arop tested his range in the 1,500m, finishing sixth in a stacked field with a time of 3:39.65, just shy of his 2023 personal best of 3:38.36.
According to his coach Chris Woods, Arop is tapping into a “completely untapped skillset” by challenging himself across distances.
“Grand Slam Track is only going to help Marco racing those calibre of runners four times throughout the year,” Woods told CBC Sports.
“We get to sharpen those tools against the best in the world.”
The Grand Slam Track circuit, which Arop committed to last October, features four events, Kingston, Miami, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. As the lone Canadian among 48 athletes appearing in all four meets, Arop is embracing the full experience.
However, Arop plans to compete in Diamond League meets before defending his world title in Tokyo this September.
Buzz around Arop breaking Rudisha’s record grows after his silver in Paris, missing gold and the record by 0.01 seconds.
That performance placed him fourth all-time in the 800m and established him as North America’s fastest athlete in the event. But for Arop and his team, chasing 1:39 is not the endgame. It’s a passion project, fittingly named “Project 99.”
“Project 99 is a passion project for us,” Woods emphasized.
“But I don’t want us to get so caught up in trying to break the world record that we lose sight of defending the world championship title and getting to L.A. in 2028 with intentions of winning it. As long as we keep medals the main thing, Project 99 will take care of itself.”
Just 12 days after Paris, Marco clocked 1:41.72 in Lausanne, followed by a meet record 1:41.86 in Chorzów, Poland.
After attending a high-altitude training camp last November, Arop has shown significant progress in recovery and endurance.
“He adapted well to running at an altitude between 6,600 and 7,000 feet,” Woods said.
“Some of the things Marco can do aerobically and anaerobically and still recover is impressive. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime athlete.”
