Canada’s Gabriela DeBues-Stafford showed her impressive range on Saturday night, dipping under the Tokyo Olympic standard and the two-minute barrier in the 800 metres.
The 25-year-old from Toronto ran one minute 58.70 seconds to win the Portland Track Festival.
DeBues-Stafford is the first Canadian woman to ever break all three time barriers of two minutes in the 800, four minutes in the 1,500 and 15 minutes in the 5,000.
She holds the Canadian records in the mile, 1,500 and 5,000 outdoors and the mile and 5,000 indoors.
The Tokyo Olympic standard in the 800 is 1:59.50.
Canadian Andrea Seccafien and Julie-Anne Staehli both dipped under the 15-minute mark to finish second and third respectively, in the 5,000 on Saturday night. Seccafien, who earlier this month broke the Canadian 10,000-metre record, ran 14:57.07, while Staehli ran 14:57.50.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2021.
The Canadian Press