[ad_1]
With a roaring crowd inside Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., Arop powered his six-foot-four frame to the finish line in a time of 1:44.28 to win bronze.
The 23-year-old from Edmonton draped himself in a Canadian flag and couldn’t stop flashing his signature smile as he basked in the cheers from the fans.
Kenya’s Emmanuel Kipkurui Korir won gold in a time of 1:43.71, while Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati finished second in a time of 1:44.14.
MARCO AROP OF EDMONTON🥉 BRONZE IN THE 800M <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldAthleticsChamps?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WorldAthleticsChamps</a> <a href=”https://t.co/xOj3nS5frl”>pic.twitter.com/xOj3nS5frl</a>
—@CBCOlympics
Prior to the race, as he was being introduced, Arop waved his hands in the air to whip the fans into a frenzy before the gun sounded.
His family was watching his run back in Edmonton.
Twenty years earlier his parents, mother Aluel Lual and father Rau Arop, fled the civil war in Sudan.
In the 1990s, Aluel and Rau moved their young family from Abyei, which was in the heart of disputed territory, to safer confines in the country’s capital of Khartoum. It was there Marco was born in 1998, the family’s fourth son.
Aluel and Rau wanted a better life for their six sons and knew very early on that Marco had athletic talent.
“He is incredible. Marco is an incredible boy. He is a special boy,” Rau said. “We are really blessed the way Marco came all the way from Africa to Canada, one could not believe an immigrant boy could become a star in the country and the world.”
Marco played basketball during high school but wasn’t serious about track until 2016.
It was a steady climb for Arop — from the junior national team in 2017 to the world championships in 2019 to the Tokyo Olympics in the summer of 2021, Marco has been getting better year after year.
In the span of six years he’s gone from beginning his track career to world champion bronze medallist.
WATCH l Breaking down what sets Marco Arop apart from the pack:
The Canadian runner is an up-and-coming force in the 800-metres. Olympian and coach Geoff Harris breaks down what sets him apart.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
[ad_2]
التعليقات