Canada's Brandon McBride races to world-leading 800m
Windsor, Ont., native looking to make Olympic team for 1st time
Brandon McBride ran himself into the sights of some of the world's top middle-distance runners Saturday with a world-leading time in the 800 metres in Starkville, Miss.
The Windsor, Ont., native, competing for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, ran the race largely alone, finishing in one minute, 44.63 seconds, the fastest time in the world this year. The result was also good for a Mississippi State record.
The next closest finisher was Raheem Skinner, who ran the race in 1:53.29.
Brandon McBride, ladies and gentlemen. <a href="https://twitter.com/mcbride46">@mcbride46</a> took full control of the first section of 800m. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HailState?src=hash">#HailState</a> <a href="https://t.co/301E6LDj2D">pic.twitter.com/301E6LDj2D</a>
—@HailStateTFThe result makes the 21-year-old the second-fastest Canadian ever over the distance, behind world championship silver-medallist Gary Reed, who holds the national record at 1:43.68.
Barring a major upset, McBride will qualify for the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, which would be his first Olympic appearance. The time is well under the 1:46.00 standard to compete for the Canadian team, but he will still have to finish in the top two at the Canadian championships this summer or be the top-ranked athlete who does not finish in the top two.
In Baton Rouge, La., Aaron Brown of Toronto won the men's 200m dash in a personal-best 20.00 seconds. It was his second win of the day after a 9.95-second wind-assisted (+3.1) victory in the 100m.
A previous version on this article stated McBride will have to finish in the top three at the national championships to qualify for the Olympics. This was incorrect. He will need to finish in the top two or be the top-ranked athlete from the final who does not finish first or second.