愛污传媒

Sports

Canada's Moh Ahmed makes gutsy challenge but fades to sixth in 10,000 metres

Canada's Mohammed Ahmed runs in the men's 10,000-metre final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, July 30, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Canada's Mohammed Ahmed runs in the men's 10,000-metre final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, July 30, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Share
TOKYO -

Canada's Moh Ahmed patiently moved up through the pack, picking off the runners in front of him one by one, before making his bold move with 600 metres to go. He pulled to the outside and charged to the lead.

Anyone who's watched the 30-year-old from St. Catharines, Ont., over the past few years could have predicted it. Gutsy moves have become his track trademark.

Ahmed looked headed for a medal, but he couldn't maintain the pace and faded over the final 300 metres to finish sixth in the 10,000 on Friday at the Tokyo Olympics. it was his first time racing the distance since the 2019 world championships.

"I think it's always been my play. You look at a guy like (four-time Olympic champion) Mo Farah, who dominated the last eight years, the sort of move that made him dominate the world the last eight years, he was doing that (move) for five, six years prior to that," Ahmed said.

"Everybody has a way that they've learned, it's kind of like basketball, everybody has a go-to move. You've got to read the race and try and like use your tools. That's what I was trying to do."

Ahmed crossed the finish line in 27 minutes 47.76 seconds. His Canadian record, set in finishing sixth at the 2019 world championships, is 26:59.35.

Selemon Barega of Ethiopia won gold in 27.43.22 ahead of Ugandans Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo.

Ahmed crossed the finish line completely spent. Ten metres past the line, he fell to the track, his legs and arms splayed like a starfish.

If he had the race to run over again, Ahmed said he would've attacked it in exactly the same fashion.

"I'm not ashamed of that, I put myself in it, I made myself a player, tried making winning moves," said Ahmed. "Unfortunately, I just didn't have too much in that last 250 you know, maybe 300. So, yeah, there's nothing to be ashamed of, these guys are cream of the crop, the best of the world. And anytime that you could compete against them, you've just got to be grateful for the opportunity. And I'll try to take something away from that."

Ahmed, who was eighth in the 10,000 at the 2016 Rio Olympics,

knelt on one knee in the media interview area after the race. Because of COVID-19 protocols, reporters must stand two metres from athletes, and place their recorders on a small table, and so Ahmed generously knelt to speak directly into the recorders.

The race had been typically physical, with runners jostling for position. Ahmed said the soles of his Nike spikes were missing a few chunks from being stepped on.

Canada has never won an Olympic medal in the men's 5,000 or 10,000 metres. Ahmed, who has blazed a trail for Canadian distance runners on the global scene in the past few years, will try to change that in Tokyo. He runs the 5,000 heats on Tuesday, the distance that has given him better results. His bronze in the 5,000 at the 2019 world championships in Doha was the country's first world championship medal in a distance event.

He was fourth over that distance at the Rio Olympics, and he's the North American record-holder in the 5,000. Canadian teammate Justyn Knight is the second-fastest North American in history and could also challenge for a medal.

Friday was the opening day for track and field at Olympic Stadium, and the empty 48,000-seat venue -- no fans are permitted due to Tokyo's COVID-19 state of emergency -- painted an eerie backdrop for the racing.

It was a far cry from the 2012 Olympics in London, when Farah raced to victory in both the 5,000 and 10,000 in front of his hometown crowd. The cheering was deafening.

Ahmed said he wasn't bothered by the quiet, cavernous stadium, which looked arguably better on television than in-person, as the multi-coloured seats could almost be mistaken for fans on TV.

"That's distance running, I've been running in these sorts of situations for a long time . . . I don't really care. That's kind of like how it is it I mean, in the distance world," he said.

Ahmed was born in Mogadishu, Somalia and he and his family arrived in Canada -- by way of Kenya -- when he was 11. He ran NCAA track for the University of Wisconsin, and he now trains in Portland with the Bowerman Track Club.

Tokyo is his third Olympics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2021.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Angela Salvatore had been away from her father's hospital bedside for just over an hour when she says she got a frantic call from a nurse, pleading with her to calm him down.

A veteran Ottawa journalist is firing back against what he says are "entirely false" claims by a former Conservative cabinet minister that he acted as a Russian agent.

Canadian Ryan James Wedding finished in 24th place in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but the snowboarder wouldn鈥檛 go on to improve his results in Torino four years later.

The mystery of a 100-year-old letter sent from Manitoba to Ireland is slowly unraveling thanks to the work of one amateur sleuth.

Canada

  • The mystery of a 100-year-old letter sent from Manitoba to Ireland is slowly unraveling thanks to the work of one amateur sleuth.

  • Canadian Ryan James Wedding finished in 24th place in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but the snowboarder wouldn鈥檛 go on to improve his results in Torino four years later.

  • The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick (PANB) has uploaded dozens of dashboard camera videos from the 1970s to their YouTube channel.

World

Politics

Health

Sci-Tech

Entertainment

Business

Lifestyle

Sports

Autos

Local Spotlight

A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

  • The final count of ballots in the 2024 B.C. election begins Saturday, with more than 66,000 mail-in and absentee votes potentially yet to be counted across the province's 93 electoral districts.

  • Canfor Corp. says it had a net loss of $350.1 million in its last quarter as it took writedowns and impairment charges related to mill closures in a slumping lumber market.

  • Canadian Ryan James Wedding finished in 24th place in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but the snowboarder wouldn鈥檛 go on to improve his results in Torino four years later.

  • Angela Salvatore had been away from her father's hospital bedside for just over an hour when she says she got a frantic call from a nurse, pleading with her to calm him down.

  • A man has been hospitalized after being shot in Mississauga.

  • Mr. Steam got its online business listing back.

  • More than 100 volunteers gathered Saturday morning to set up 3,605 crosses in a field along Memorial Drive, each representing the life of a southern Alberta soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

  • Former Chicago Blackhawks star and Hall of Fame hockey executive Bill Hay, who was also a past president and CEO of the Calgary Flames, has died. He was 88.

  • Ontario Provincial Police say a 16-year-old person has been charged with second-degree murder after a 15-year-old was found dead at a home in Perth, Ont. Friday afternoon.

  • A former CTV Ottawa broadcaster is headlining an art gallery with landscape paintings this weekend.

  • A veteran Ottawa journalist is firing back against what he says are "entirely false" claims by a former Conservative cabinet minister that he acted as a Russian agent.

  • Montreal police (SPVM) are investigating an alleged case of voyeurism on the metro involving an 18-year-old woman, with video footage of the incident now circulating on social media

  • Steve Begin is back at school, speaking to students. A place the former Montreal Canadien says was difficult for him growing up.

  • The Quebec Liberal Party is calling for an investigation after reports that some French-language training courses for newcomers have been cancelled.

  • RCMP are looking for a man they believe is armed and dangerous in the Lac La Biche area.

  • Data from Alberta Health suggests the province鈥檚 syphilis outbreak response is finally having an impact.

  • A former Alberta teacher has been sentenced to four years for sexually abusing a student.

  • The GoFundMe page for the family of an employee found dead at a Halifax Walmart last weekend has paused donations after almost $200,000 was raised in roughly 24 hours.

  • RCMP in Nova Scotia arrested and charged a 17-year-old youth with several charges, including robbery on Friday.

  • Halifax police have arrested a fourth person in a homicide case involving a 16-year-old boy who went missing two years ago.

  • Winnipeg police have arrested and charged a man believed to be connected with an assault at a University of Manitoba dorm room.

  • The mystery of a 100-year-old letter sent from Manitoba to Ireland is slowly unraveling thanks to the work of one amateur sleuth.

  • Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews were busy Friday and early Saturday morning, battling three separate fires believed to be caused by accident.

  • Saturday will mark the end of the CFL regular season, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders will have their eyes on Winnipeg鈥檚 matchup versus Montreal to know if they have a chance of clinching the West Division.

  • With mere days until votes are counted up 鈥 the provincial party leaders have entered the final phase of campaigning and are looking to appeal to undecided voters for support.

  • With an attempt to address the shortage of housing available in the community, the City of Yorkton has started a housing incentive program where new builders will receive a 50 per cent rebate on residential lots, and a full tax exemption for five years.

  • Fire crews responded to a fire at a Waterloo waste management site Friday evening.

  • Geovanny Villalba-Aleman, the man who stabbed three people in a gender studies class at the University of Waterloo, says he 鈥榓cted dumb鈥.

  • All the evidence has now been called at the trial of Erick Buhr, who has pleaded not guilty to second degree murder in the death of his grandmother, Viola Erb.

  • Saskatoon fire crews responded to a major house fire on the 400 block of 24th Street West on Friday evening.

  • A Saskatchewan woman is worried her child might die before receiving life-saving surgery and tests as he sits on the province's surgical waitlist.

  • The Saskatchewan RCMP is releasing the names of two suspects arrested on Thursday for a violent vehicle theft that triggered a widespread police search.

  • Huntsville OPP and the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) are conducting a homicide investigation after three individuals were found dead in a Huntsville neighbourhood Friday evening.

  • Highway 144 is closed in Chelmsford at Edward Street, Sudbury police said Saturday afternoon.

  • The Town of Cochrane plans to roll out its $10-lot program in a month or two.

  • Cornelius Woelke and his two boys, who were badly burned in a fire in Springfield, Ont., are continuing their recovery in hospital.

  • In case you missed it, 愛污传媒 London has gathered all of the top local stories from this week into one video for your convenience.

  • Huntsville OPP and the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) are conducting a homicide investigation after three individuals were found dead in a Huntsville neighbourhood Friday evening.

  • A commercial truck driver was stopped for allegedly travelling nearly twice the speed limit through a community safe zone in Caledon Saturday morning.

  • Several students have been banned from being spectators at school sporting events, and others suspended from school, after verbal and physical exchanges at a high school soccer game.

  • Windsor police say the death of a 69-year-old man has been ruled a homicide.

  • A U.S. citizen was arrested by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Gorder Howe International Bridge on Oct. 18 for an active warrant for possession of synthetic drugs.

  • Witches and dinosaurs walked the Downtown Windsor Farmers鈥 Market Saturday morning in search of an early Halloween treat.

  • The final count of ballots in the 2024 B.C. election begins Saturday, with more than 66,000 mail-in and absentee votes potentially yet to be counted across the province's 93 electoral districts.

  • There were tense moments at a ferry terminal outside Victoria, B.C., on Friday after the lion鈥檚 share of standby spots on an early sailing were claimed by 鈥渁ssured loading鈥 passengers 鈥 leaving regular customers who had been waiting for hours out of luck.

  • Hulitan Early Years Centre is a brand new, 48-seat childhood learning centre in Colwood. It was built to support Indigenous children throughout the capital region.

  • More than two years after Alannah Brown and Douglas Barker were found dead north of Penticton, police are asking for help identifying a vehicle they believe was associated with the crime.

  • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

  • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

  • The Hurricanes will be happy to be back home in Lethbridge Saturday night after losing their third in a row on the road Friday night, a 4-1 decision to the Broncos in Swift Current.

  • About 15,000 students are enrolled at Lethbridge鈥檚 post-secondary schools, and now the city is working with those schools to try to find ways to get them s to stick around a while.

  • With Halloween less than a week away, organizations in Lethbridge are preparing to get in on the trick-or-treating fun.

  • Ontario Provincial Police have been cleared in the case of a woman who crashed her vehicle intentionally while she was high on drugs and fled into the woods earlier this year.

  • The union that represents hospital workers across the province is used a symbol from Greek mythology Friday in Espanola to drive home its campaign about the perils of privatization in health care.

  • CTV's Coats for Kids is nearing the end of its donation window, with the need as strong as it鈥檚 ever been.

N.L.

Shopping Trends

The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 愛污传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

Stay Connected
Follow 愛污传媒