Friday, July 30
Marco Arop (CAN), Brandon McBride (CAN)
7:50 PM
Mississippi State
vs
Men's 800m First Round
Arop, McBride Carry Canadian Medal Hopes
July 29, 2021 | Track & Field, Olympic Games
The two Canadian 800m contenders run in the qualifying round on July 30.
TOKYO, Japan – Mississippi State track and field alumni Marco Arop and Brandon McBride are set to compete in the men's 800m at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
The first-round heats will take place at 7:50 p.m. CT on July 30, which is at 9:50 a.m. on July 31 local time in Tokyo. The city is 14 hours ahead of Starkville, Mississippi. Semifinals will take place two days later, and the final is set for 7:05 a.m. CT on Aug. 4.
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Arop and McBride carry the Canadian medal hopes, not only as national record holders but also as the lone Canadians in the field. While Canada boasts four Olympic medals in the men's 800m, no Canadian man has ever won 800m gold at the Games.
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Alex Wilson and Bill Crothers both finished with silver in 1932 and 1964, respectively. Phil Edwards won consecutive bronze medals for Canada in the 1932 and 1936 Olympics.Â
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The Bulldog pair has a chance to be Canada's first pair of medalists since Wilson and Edwards shared the podium in 1932. Kenya was the last nation with multiple medalists in the event, taking gold and bronze both in London in 2012 and Beijing in 2008.
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Two-time gold medalist David Rudisha (KEN) did not return to attempt a third consecutive title leaving the field wide open. The Canadian Bulldogs both rank among the top eight in the world entering the meet.
Earlier this month, Arop clocked a personal best of 1:43.26 in Monaco, which was just six-hundredths of a second shy of McBride's Canadian outdoor record. Arop holds the nation's indoor record in the event. He opened the season with a then-world-leading time of 1:44.76 in April at Mississippi State's Maroon & White Invite. He is making his Olympic debut but is no stranger to the global stage after being the youngest competitor to make the men's 800m final at the 2019 Outdoor World Championships in Doha.
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McBride most recently competed at the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix in July. He finished fourth in 1:45.51. He did not compete in the 2020 season and ran a season-best 1:43.51 in 2019.
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The races can be streamed online on NBCOlympics.com or the NBC Sports app. Nearly-live results are available on Olympics.com along with MSU's State to Tokyo webpage and social media feeds.
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For more information on the Mississippi State track and field program, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateTF" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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Holds Canadian National Record indoors ... was the youngest competitor in the 2019 Outdoor World Championships final where he placed seventh ... won gold at the 2019Â Pan American Games ... two-time NCAA runner-up ... 2018 Athletics Canada champion ... holds MSU's 800m school records indoors and outdoors and State's freshman record.
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Holds Canadian National Record outdoors and ranks fourth in national history indoors ... tied for the MSU men's track record with nine All-American honors ... making his second consecutive Olympic Games appearance after competing in Rio in 2016 where he reached the semifinals ... four-time Athletics Canada champion ... 2014 NCAA Outdoor Champion ... placed eighth at the 2017 Outdoor World Championships in London ... two-time semifinalist for The Bowerman.
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*participation dependent upon qualification
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*participation dependent upon qualification
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The first-round heats will take place at 7:50 p.m. CT on July 30, which is at 9:50 a.m. on July 31 local time in Tokyo. The city is 14 hours ahead of Starkville, Mississippi. Semifinals will take place two days later, and the final is set for 7:05 a.m. CT on Aug. 4.
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Arop and McBride carry the Canadian medal hopes, not only as national record holders but also as the lone Canadians in the field. While Canada boasts four Olympic medals in the men's 800m, no Canadian man has ever won 800m gold at the Games.
Â
Alex Wilson and Bill Crothers both finished with silver in 1932 and 1964, respectively. Phil Edwards won consecutive bronze medals for Canada in the 1932 and 1936 Olympics.Â
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The Bulldog pair has a chance to be Canada's first pair of medalists since Wilson and Edwards shared the podium in 1932. Kenya was the last nation with multiple medalists in the event, taking gold and bronze both in London in 2012 and Beijing in 2008.
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Two-time gold medalist David Rudisha (KEN) did not return to attempt a third consecutive title leaving the field wide open. The Canadian Bulldogs both rank among the top eight in the world entering the meet.
Earlier this month, Arop clocked a personal best of 1:43.26 in Monaco, which was just six-hundredths of a second shy of McBride's Canadian outdoor record. Arop holds the nation's indoor record in the event. He opened the season with a then-world-leading time of 1:44.76 in April at Mississippi State's Maroon & White Invite. He is making his Olympic debut but is no stranger to the global stage after being the youngest competitor to make the men's 800m final at the 2019 Outdoor World Championships in Doha.
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McBride most recently competed at the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix in July. He finished fourth in 1:45.51. He did not compete in the 2020 season and ran a season-best 1:43.51 in 2019.
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The races can be streamed online on NBCOlympics.com or the NBC Sports app. Nearly-live results are available on Olympics.com along with MSU's State to Tokyo webpage and social media feeds.
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For more information on the Mississippi State track and field program, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateTF" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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Bulldog Bios
Marco Arop (Canada)
Personal Best: 1:43.26 (July 9, 2021)Â | Season Best: 1:43.26 (July 9)Â | World Rankings:Â 6th World, 1st CANHolds Canadian National Record indoors ... was the youngest competitor in the 2019 Outdoor World Championships final where he placed seventh ... won gold at the 2019Â Pan American Games ... two-time NCAA runner-up ... 2018 Athletics Canada champion ... holds MSU's 800m school records indoors and outdoors and State's freshman record.
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Brandon McBride (Canada)
Personal Best: 1:43.20 (July 20, 2018) | Season Best: 1:45.51 (July 6) | World Rankings: 8th World, 2nd CANHolds Canadian National Record outdoors and ranks fourth in national history indoors ... tied for the MSU men's track record with nine All-American honors ... making his second consecutive Olympic Games appearance after competing in Rio in 2016 where he reached the semifinals ... four-time Athletics Canada champion ... 2014 NCAA Outdoor Champion ... placed eighth at the 2017 Outdoor World Championships in London ... two-time semifinalist for The Bowerman.
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Olympic 800m Schedule (all times CT)
Friday, July 30
| Time | Event | Athletes | Country | Watch |
| 7:50 p.m. | Men's 800m (Qualifying) | Marco Arop Brandon McBride |
CAN CAN |
NBCOlympics.com |
Sunday, Aug. 1
| Time | Event | Athletes | Country | Watch |
| 6:25 a.m. | Men's 800m (Semifinals)* | Marco Arop Brandon McBride |
CAN CAN |
NBCOlympics.com |
*participation dependent upon qualification
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Wednesday, Aug. 4
| Time | Event | Athletes | Country | Watch |
| 7:05 a.m. | Men's 800m (Final)* | Marco Arop Brandon McBride |
CAN CAN |
NBCOlympics.com |
*participation dependent upon qualification
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