St Catharines distance runner gears up for Tokyo Olympics

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Published June 22, 2021 at 2:59 pm

olympics

While St Catharines distance runner Mohammed Ahmed has never hit the podium at the Olympic Games, the 30-year-old is hoping that will change when the Tokyo Olympics begin on July 23.

However, he has come very close, finishing in fourth at the 2016 Rio Olympics and missing the podium by just 1.5 seconds.

That said, the runner, who has specialized in both the 5,000m and the 10,000m, has been in the top three in other competitions. In Tokyo, the runner will run only the 10,000m event.

Ahmed, who came to St Catharines from Somalia with his parents at the age of 11, won the bronze at the 2019 World Athletic Championship in Doha, Qatar for the 5.000m, making him the first-ever Canadian to medal in the event.

He also won two silvers for the 5,000m and 10,000m races at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, held in Gold Coast, Australia. That same year, he was nominated for Sports Person of the Year at the International Somali Awards.

But he did strike gold for 10,000m at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.

During an exceptional athletic career at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Ahmed collected 11 NCAA All-American awards in track and cross country and an Olympic berth in the 10,000 m at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

On August 4, 2017, Ahmed set a personal best and Canadian National Record in the 10000M, placing eighth at the 2017 IAAF World Championships with a time of 27:02.35

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