Canadians Marco Arop, Sage Watson surge into Olympic track semis

Canadians Marco Arop and Sage Watson each earned automatic qualification into track semifinals on Saturday in Tokyo.

Arop, running in the 800 metres, won his heat with a time of one minute 45.26 seconds. The 22-year-old from Edmonton surged ahead of the pack early and never let up.

He said he plans to approach his semifinal race on Sunday the same way.

"I never want to change the race plan. I enjoy getting going out in front. If someone else wants to take it I'll let them, but definitely want to be in front of the pack," Arop said shortly after the race.

Arop's personal best of 1:43.26, set three weeks ago at a Diamond League meet in Monaco, is just six one-hundredths off the Canadian record, held by 27-year-old Brandon McBride at 1:43.20.

"Seeing that time [in Monaco] definitely gave me another boost in confidence," Arop said.

But McBride, who has raced just once since the 2019 world championships due to injury, finished sixth in his heat and failed to advance.

The Windsor, Ont., native posted a time of 1:46.32.

"I think it was a matter of getting the rust off the last 50 metres or so. I mean training has been going great as of late so I just hope that I can get an opportunity to show my fitness," McBride said shortly before learning other athletes had passed for him the six wild-card qualifying spots.

The semifinals will include 24 athletes. The 800 final is scheduled to be run on Wednesday in Tokyo.

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Watson, meanwhile, cut it closer than Arop by snagging the fourth and final automatic qualifier in her 400-metre hurdles heat.

Running in the first of five heats, the 27-year-old from Medicine Hat, Alta., ensured she wouldn't have to wait to learn her fate after edging the fifth-place finisher by three one-hundredths of a second.

Watson's time of 55.54 seconds was well off her personal best of 51.62.

Fellow Canadian Noelle Montcalm, a 33-year-old from Windsor, Ont., missed qualifying with a time of 55.85 seconds, placing sixth in her heat.

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