Charles Philibert-Thiboutot burns. For the second time in eight days, he set a new personal best that allowed him to climb to second place in the Canadian rankings in the 1500m.
On Sunday, Philibert-Thiboutot clocked a time of 3 minutes, 32 seconds, 94 minutes in Nancy, France, after setting a time of 3 minutes, 33 seconds, 54 seconds at Montesson in a Paris suburb last Saturday, which allowed him had made it possible to reach the world standard in athletics in the run-up to the World Championships.
His performance, which earned him the Quebec record, put him second on the Canadian scene behind Kevin Sullivan, who ran 3:31:7 in Rome in 2000 during a Golden League stage. Also in 2000, but at the Sydney Olympics, Sullivan finished fifth.
“I always wanted to beat Kevin’s time and it was almost a dream,” recognized Philibert-Thiboutot. It’s super motivating that I’m just a second away from him. At the 2000 Games, Kevin was the clean-shooting Olympic champion, at a time when doping was rife.
“Charles is an ambitious athlete and he always had Kevin’s record in mind,” added his coach Félix-Antoine Lapointe. He is now second in the country and it would be a great achievement to be the best in Canadian history.”
The rising level
The level of the 1500m peloton is experiencing strong growth. “When I set my personal best of 3m34s23 in 2015, that was my 18th best performance of the year in the world rankings,” said the 2016 Rio Olympics competitor. My time of 3m32s is close currently I ranked in 23rd place. The level of the peloton has risen a lot and I have no choice but to make progress.
For example, five runners ran 3:29 at a Diamond League stage in Oslo, Norway last week. “It was the toughest event in history,” said Lapointe. Kenyan Reynold Kipkorir Cheruiyot started in Nancy as his Oslo visa was not in order and his presence was a good thing for Charles. The start was very quick.”
intensive training
After a final training session in France on Monday, Philibert-Thiboutot returns to Quebec City on Tuesday where he will work on his speed over the next few weeks. “I will train for a world championship time of 3:29,” he said. It’s a big challenge to reach the final, but I’m aiming for a place in the top 5. After the World Cup and the Paris Olympics in 2024, my career is almost over and I want to do my best.
To improve his speed in the 1500m, Philibert-Thiboutot will start the 800m of the Classique d’athlétisme de Montréal on June 29th. “There are a few young guys who are over 800m strong and would love to beat me. It will not be an easy race and it will be good training ahead of the national championships.
At the national championships, Philibert-Thiboutot must finish in the top three to secure his spot at the world championships. Philibert-Thiboutot is aiming for the fifth national title of his career in the 1,500m on July 27-30 in Langley, BC.
“Charles is capable of winning the Canadian title, but nothing should be taken for granted,” warned Lapointe. There are three other runners who are good athletes.