DOHA, Qatar — Canada's Gabriela DeBues-Stafford broke her own national record in the women's 1,500-metre final Saturday at the world track and field championships.
The Toronto runner finished sixth in three minutes 56.12 seconds, trimming over three seconds from her previous best of 3:59.59 set last August in Zurich.
"I'm really happy, gave it everything I had on the last lap," DeBues-Stafford said. "I knew it was going to be fast, I could feel it. On the one hand, it is tough because any other year, a runner with a time like that would be a shoe-in for the win, but it’s also exciting to be a part of a phenomenal class of women in the 1500-metres and I actually prefer it that way. We elevate each other's games to run faster."
Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands won gold in 3:51.95. Faith Kipyegon of Kenya took silver and Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia won bronze.
DeBues-Stafford first broke the Canadian record in July. Her time of 4:00.26 in London was one-100th of a second faster than Lynn Williams' mark from 1985.
Also Saturday, the Canadian women's 4x400-metre relay team qualified for Sunday's final by finishing third in the opening heat in 3:25.86.
"This team definitely deserves a spot in the final," said team member Sage Watson. "We have a great group of women who can all run fast."
In men's shot put, Tim Nedow of Brockville, Ont., was ninth. In the women's 100-metre hurdles, Phylicia George of Markham, Ont., did not advance after finishing last in her seven-runner heat with a time of 13.49 seconds.
Andrea Seccafien of Guelph, Ont., was 13th in the women's 5,000 metres with a personal-best time of 14:59.95. John Mason of Guelph was 36th in the men's marathon in who hours 19 minutes 21 seconds, while Toronto's Berhanu Degefa was 45th in 2:22:28.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2019.
The Canadian Press
