Ahmed breaks Canadian record
But long-distance runner isn’t all that impressed
LONDON A national record, and a Canadian best-ever eighthplace finish — but Mohammed Ahmed wants more.
The 26-year-old from St. Catharines, Ont., laid down Canada’s finest performance over 10,000 metres at the world championships on Friday night, crossing in a national record time of 27 minutes 2.35 seconds. But moments after the race, his slender legs still wobbly from the effort, Ahmed said he’s thinking well beyond being Canada’s best.
“Honestly, one of the things that I’m really sick of is ‘best Canadian finish,’ ‘best Canadian this.’ I want to be the best in the world,” Ahmed said. “That’s essentially what I’m working toward. I dislike hearing those words, ‘best Canadian finish.’ You want to be the best in the world.”
Hometown favourite and Olympic champion Mo Farah raced to his third world title, to the delight of 55,000 fans, whose roar reached earsplitting levels when the Brit glanced over his shoulder to pull away with about 150 metres to go.
Day 1 of the worlds was supposed to be all about Andre De Grasse and his quest to topple Jamaican great Usain Bolt from his throne, but the Canadian sprint star was forced to shut down his season after straining his hamstring in training Monday.
So Ahmed played the starring role for Canada, a year after he finished dead last in the Rio Olympics 10,000-metre race.
Ahmed rebounded in Rio to finish — a Canadian-best — fourth in the 5,000 metres, and said his ability to stick with the best in the world filled him with confidence.
It showed Friday night at London Stadium, as the Somali-born runner stayed with the lead group — as high up as third spot — for all but Lap 25 of the 25 laps.
In the absence of De Grasse, Canada will have nobody in the 100-metre final as Canadians Gavin Smellie and Brendon Rodney were both eliminated in the heats.
On the heels of his thrilling three-medal performance at the Rio Olympics, De Grasse had been intent on giving Usain Bolt a run for his money in the Jamaican superstar’s final individual race. Instead, De Grasse, and Canadian track and field fans, are left to wonder “what if ?”
Bolt cruised to an easy 10.07 to win his heat. Jamaican Julian Forte ran 9.99 for the fastest time of the night.
“It was brilliant,” Bolt said of the London Stadium crowd. “They come out in their numbers.”
Next is Saturday ’s semifinals. The final is later that night.
The stadium announcer mentioned De Grasse several times, including right before what would have been his heat, saying “Andre De Grasse would have been in Lane 9, but sadly withdrew from injury in the last 36 hours.”
Elsewhere, Gabriela Stafford, a 21-year-old from Toronto, ran a personal best 4:04.55 to finish seventh in her heat of the 1,500 and advance to the semis. Nicole Sifuentes of Winnipeg (4:05.24) was eighth in her heat and also advanced.
Canadians Alysha Newman and Anicka Newell also booked their spots in the women’s pole vault final. Newman, from London, Ont., cleared 4.55 metres, while Toronto’s Newell was good over 4.50 metres.