Golden Hour: Looking Back On The 2019 Pan American Games

STARKVILLE – Two years ago, Mississippi State became the darling of the track and field world when Marco Arop and Anderson Peters broke Pan American Games records on their way to gold.

The duo's medal-winning performances came within an hour of each other as Arop crossed the line in the 800m just 59 minutes prior to Peters throwing what would be his winning mark in the javelin.

It's a moment that the pair treasures still today as they prepare for the Olympic Games in Tokyo because it perfectly captured their tandem journey to global acclaim. But for as much as the two Bulldogs' paths have crossed – they spent the 2018-19 year as roommates – when they headed to Peru that summer, they couldn't have been further apart in their build up to the competition.

Peters was coming off an NCAA season that saw him defend his NCAA and SEC Championships while approaching the all-time collegiate record, ranking third in NCAA history. Arop meanwhile had battled injuries all season and had failed to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Peters traveled to Lima two weeks before the games for a training camp with Team Grenada. He was fine-tuning his technique and doing physical therapy to remain in peak shape. Meanwhile, Arop would get in just a handful of practices before competing, but it was enough to preview what was to come.

"Leading up to it, everything was so good. My body was feeling great," Arop said. "I was finally feeling like myself again because I hadn't been able to run at 100 percent for a while. [Practices] weren't the best, but they felt comfortable. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to win, but I knew if I raced within my capabilities, I'd finish top three."

Arop also had a plan. His Canadian coaches and Bulldog head coach Chris Woods were on the same page. Throw times and splits out the window. All Arop needed to do was hang on the shoulder of Puerto Rico's Wesley Vazquez for as long as he could, and the pacing would be right.

"Knowing there would be someone to carry me the whole way, that took a lot of the pressure off," Arop said. "I didn't have to think about times. I got into the race with a clear head space, and I was able to do what I do best, which is just race to win."

While Arop raced, Peters sat in the call room waiting for javelin warmups to begin.

"I was able to watch the entire 800m," Peters remembered. "I was watching it on TV, so I was able to watch the entire 800m. It was a really good race, and it was exciting to see Marco pass that guy on the last 100m."

Arop crossed the line in 1:44.25, breaking a 12-year-old record set by Cuban Yelmer Lopez in 2007.

"It was a bit of a shock," Arop remembered. "I didn't really care what the time was, I was just happy to win. I looked up at the scoreboard, and I saw the time and was like, 'Wow, I can't believe that just came out of me.'"

Arop's next steps were headed indoors for regular, mandatory drug testing that accompanies all medal-winning performances. While waiting for his turn, he returned the favor and tuned in to Peters' performance.

The Grenadian's very first throw sailed 87.31m, breaking his own MSU and Grenadian records and the Pan Am record. It put nearly four meters of space between himself and the 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, and Peters never trailed in the competition.

"At first, I remember how easy it was to throw because my body was super loose, and I was super ready," Peters said. "Eighty-seven meters felt really easy at the time, so that was one of the things that stuck with me. After throwing it, without seeing the mark, I never would have guessed that that throw went 87 meters."

As he sat down to put his warmups back on, the full measurement came up on the board, including the record designation.

"I saw 87 come up on the board. That was the happiest moment for me," he said. "I just saw 87, and I was happy with that. I didn't even see the centimeters."

Arop saw it too, along with Peters' final throw, which many fans and Mississippi State faithful remain convinced flew far enough to shatter the all-time collegiate mark of 89.10m. But it was determined that Peters' foot had narrowly touched the fault line, and the throw was never measured.

"I thought, 'Yeah, he's not going to live that one down,'" Arop said. "It was pretty cool watching a teammate that I've seen throw really well all year that year and then on the world stage doing his best. That was awesome."

With two golds and two records in hand, media members started looking toward the upcoming World Championships and predicting whether Mississippi State could do it again. Peters did, becoming the first javelin World Champion from the Americas and Grenada's third medalist in any event. Meanwhile, Arop held his own as the youngest finalist in the 800m field, where he finished seventh in the world.

"I saw his semifinals race at the World Championship," Peters said of Arop. "It was a good race, but I felt like he was tired. I feel like he had two too many races that season. He would have been in the top four for sure if he had run like he did at the Pan Am Games."

The evening in Lima remains special because it was a moment for both of them, accomplishing everything they could on that stage.

"Looking back and seeing that both me and Anderson did that, it was like we both train at the same area, we see each other every day, it's awesome to see two guys who came from the same university breaking records on the world stage," Arop said. "It doesn't get much better than that."

The pair remains close friends. They'll live together in Starkville again when they return from Tokyo in August. While they don't share an event, they'll often jump into each other's core workouts and motivate each other on the track. Of course, never competing head-to-head makes it easier to cheer for each other, but there's also a mutual respect.

"Even if I was throwing javelin, you can't help but appreciate greatness watching him throw," Arop said. "You don't want to lose of course, but if you're going to lose to anyone, Anderson's a pretty good guy to lose to."

There's something to be said for Starkville itself as well and the people the pair surrounds themselves with in town. Arop never hesitates to credit MSU for his success, and while he proudly represents his country, he also knows he'll always represent the Maroon and White as well.

"This school produces high-quality athletes," he said. "We're proud of the system here. We came here. We trained. We did our best here. And the fact that we're still here, both me and Anderson, just goes to show we love it here and how much everything here works. I don't see any reason I'd want to leave."

Mississippi State University Athletics

Golden Hour: Looking Back On The 2019 Pan American Games

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