CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Cam Levins never lost his self-belief.
And after nearly four frustrating years of disappointing finishes, dropouts, and the loss of his sponsor, Levins wrote a remarkable comeback story on Sunday, shattering his own Canadian record, racing to an historic fourth place in the marathon at the world track and field championships.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 thrilled, obviously. IB次元官网网址檓 over the moon,B次元官网网址� Levins said.
The 33-year-old from Black Creek, B.C., ran two hours seven minutes nine seconds to crush the 2:09.25 he ran in Toronto in 2018. The previous top Canadian finish was 10th by Peter Maher in 1993.
Tairat Tola of Ethiopia pulled away over the final kilometres to win gold in 2:05.36. Teammate Mosinet Geremew won the silver in 2:06.44, while Bashir Abdi of Belgium took bronze in 2:06.48.
Back in 2018, in his marathon debut, Levins achieved what had eluded Canadian marathoners for decades, breaking Jerome Drayton record that had stood for 43 years.
The future looked bright.
But he failed at three attempts to run the Tokyo Olympic qualifying standard before hitting it with a week to spare. At the Olympics, he faded to 72nd place in sizzling 34 C temperatures in Sapporo.
Levins wasnB次元官网网址檛 re-signed for 2022 by HOKA, the team heB次元官网网址檇 been with since 2018. He has no sponsor.
He posted on social media that heB次元官网网址檚 seeking redemption in Eugene. And did he ever deliver.
B次元官网网址淚t was crazy going from one of the last-place finishers at the Olympics, to one of the top finishers at the world championships,B次元官网网址� Levins said. B次元官网网址淚 took so much away from the Olympics last year, I just realized I need to be better, in just like every aspect of my training.
B次元官网网址淚 really had an incredible buildup, like the last six months, IB次元官网网址檝e trained really well, the hardest I have in every conceivable way,B次元官网网址� added Levins, who won the Canadian half-marathon championships recently in Winnipeg. B次元官网网址淲hen I got to the start line, I knew I was ready.B次元官网网址�
But the marathon is difficult to predict. Anything can happen over the last 10 kilometres, no matter how well-prepared athletes are, Levins pointed out.
B次元官网网址淚 felt great throughout the race. But even despite that, itB次元官网网址檚 still really hard on your legs, hard to keep going like that,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 was feeling great, but it was still a difficult last 10K. When I was coming into the last lap, I was telling myself B次元官网网址業B次元官网网址檓 here to medal, IB次元官网网址檓 gonna do this.B次元官网网址� I was definitely telling myself that I was here for a big performance.
B次元官网网址淚 think thatB次元官网网址檚 part of the big result is always believing that was going to happen, besides just preparing for it.B次元官网网址�
Levins hung in amid a large group at the front on the fast and flat course that featured plenty of scenic views. The 30-year-old Tola broke free over the final couple of kilometres.
B次元官网网址淚 tried to prepare myself for a long time for this,B次元官网网址� Tola said through an interpreter. B次元官网网址淚t was my dream.B次元官网网址�
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The real race was for silver, with the 33-year-old Abdi pushing Geremew all the way to the finish before running out of steam.
Fans lined the course several people deep, a welcome sight after so many marathons over the past two years were contested in bubbles due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Canadian friends and family members werenB次元官网网址檛 permitted to travel to Tokyo for the Olympics
On Sunday, Levins had his parents Barb and Gus, his wife Elizabeth, and his in-laws there.
B次元官网网址淭here were tons and tons of people in the crowd itself. I heard my name a zillion times. It was super cool. The Oregon crowd here was so, so great,B次元官网网址� he said. (My family was) jumping back and forth on the course, I saw them quite a bit. Mostly I heard my parents, rather than saw them, I recognized my momB次元官网网址檚 voice pretty good a couple of times.B次元官网网址�
Levins hadnB次元官网网址檛 had the chance to find his family in the crowd just minutes after his finish. But his thoughts were already about how thankful he was that theyB次元官网网址檝e had his back.
B次元官网网址淚t can be hard for your family, someone like my wife, to keep supporting me even when I lost my contract and funding in general, so itB次元官网网址檚 been really amazing,B次元官网网址� Levins said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been a tough last year. ItB次元官网网址檚 also been a really rewarding last year as far as training goes. I couldnB次元官网网址檛 be more thankful for them.B次元官网网址�
Levins, who lives a couple of hours north of Eugene in Portland, is coached by VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Jim Finlayson.
The runners were able to push the pace with the temperature hovering at a comfortable 13.9 Celsius with cloud cover. ThatB次元官网网址檚 quite a contrast to the conditions at worlds in Doha when the menB次元官网网址檚 marathon was held at midnight to avoid the searing heat. The temperature was still around 29 Celsius.
Levins moved up to the marathon after a decorated track career. He won bronze in the 10,000 in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and raced to 11th place in the 10,000 and 14th in the 5,000 at the 2014 London Olympics, despite catching the flu before the finals.
Rory Linkletter of Calgary was 20th on Sunday in a personal best 2:10.24, while Ben Preisner of Milton, Ont., was 28th in 2:11.47.
B次元官网网址淎ll three of our Canadians I think ran really, really well today,B次元官网网址� Levins said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e just in kind of an amazing era of marathoning, and IB次元官网网址檓 happy to have my name up there with some of the best ones.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 going to, I hope I have a long career still ahead of me, and that was just the tip of the iceberg.B次元官网网址�
After a slight delay, 1972 Olympic marathon champion Frank Shorter signalled the start of the race that sent the runners along a three-loop course that finished in front of the University of OregonB次元官网网址檚 Autzen Stadium. The route wound through the cities of Eugene and Springfield.
The course crossed over the Willamette River and ventured alongside PreB次元官网网址檚 Trail, the bark running trail thatB次元官网网址檚 named in honor of University of Oregon running icon Steve Prefontaine, who died in a car accident in 1975.
The field was missing Kengo Suzuki after the Japanese team had a few cases of positive tests for COVID-19. Also not racing was Kenyan marathoner Lawrence Cherono, who was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit after testing positive for a banned substance used to treat chest pain resulting from lack of blood supply and oxygen to the heart.
B次元官网网址� By Lori Ewing in Toronto. With files from The Associated Press.
The Canadian Press
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