Thursday July 23, 2020
2-time Olympian 3 seconds shy of Kevin Sullivan's national mark of 3:31.71 in 2000
Moh Ahmed won the 1,500 metres in three minutes 34.89 seconds at the Bowerman Track Club intrasquad in Portland, Ore., on Tuesday to become the fourth-fastest Canadian over that distance. (Maja Hitij/Getty Images/File)
Canada's Moh Ahmed raced to another blistering time Tuesday night, and proved he's not just a world-class long-distance runner.In what was a virtual sprint for the 5,000 and 10,000-metre specialist, the 29-year-old from St. Catharines, Ont., won the 1,500 metres at the Bowerman Track Club intra-squad meet in three minutes 34.89 seconds.
Tuesday's fast 1,500, in front of an empty stadium due to COVID-19, was just three seconds shy of Kevin Sullivan's Canadian record of 3:31.71 set in 2000.
Only three other Canadians have run faster than Ahmed over that distance: Graham Hood (3:33.94), Nate Brannen (3:34.22), and Charles Philibert-Thiboutot (3:34.23).
Ahmed won bronze in the 5,000 last October at the world track and field championships in Doha, Qatar.
"Third is good. This is a stepping stone," said Ahmed, who was looking ahead to 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics before it was postponed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic and rescheduled to July 2021.
In June, Athletics Canada recognized Ahmed's feat as the most outstanding performance of 2019 by awarding Ahmed the Cal D. Bricker Memorial Trophy. Ahmed was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, and moved to Canada at the age of 11. He trains with the Bowerman Track Club in Portland.
CBC Sports analyst Dave Moorcroft, who ran a world-record 13:00.41 in 1982, noted Ahmed has arrived as a serious medal contender and wondered if he was on the verge of "something special" come Tokyo.
"Medal contenders have a different mindset and aura, and I believe Moh has that," Moorcroft said. "He is now not just a fast runner but also a great racer and he has to believe he can take that to the next level."
WATCH | Moh Ahmed victorious at Bowerman Track Club meet: