Marco Arop facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Marco Arop
OLY

Arop after winning gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championships
Personal information
Born	(1998-09-20) September 20, 1998 (age 26) Khartoum, Sudan
Website	www.marco-arop.com
Sport
Country	Canada
Sport	Track
Event(s)	800 metres
College team	Mississippi State Bulldogs
Club	Running Room Athletic Club Alberta
Coached by	Christopher V. Woods, Ron Thompson
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking	1st (800 m, 2023)
Personal best(s)	800 m: 1:41.20 AR, NR (Paris 2024) 1000 m: 2:13.13 AR, NR (Zagreb 2024)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Canada Olympic Games Silver 2024 Paris 800 m World Championships Gold 2023 Budapest 800 m Bronze 2022 Eugene 800 m Pan American Games Gold 2019 Lima 800 m NACAC Championships Silver 2018 Toronto 800 m Pan American U20 Championships Silver 2017 Trujillo 800 m

Marco Arop (born September 20, 1998) is a Canadian track and field athlete. He is known for running middle distance races, especially the 800 metres.

Marco is a world champion! He won a gold medal in the 800m race at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. The year before, he earned a bronze medal at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. He was the first Canadian man to win a world championship in the 800m.

He also won a gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in the 800m. Marco has represented Canada at the 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2024 Summer Olympics. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, he won a silver medal in the 800m. He set a new personal best time of 1:41.20, which is a Canadian and North American record! This amazing time makes him the 4th fastest 800m runner in history. He also holds the North American record for the 1000m race.

Early Life and Moving to Canada

Marco Arop's family faced a difficult time when he was a toddler. They had to leave their home in Sudan because of a civil war in the 1990s. For a few years, Marco lived in Egypt with his parents and three older brothers.

Later, his family moved to Canada. They first lived in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, for two years. After that, they settled down in Edmonton, Alberta.

When Marco was younger, he loved basketball. He was even offered a scholarship to play basketball at Concordia University of Edmonton. But his high school basketball coach, Michael Wojcicki, saw his talent for running. He suggested Marco try track and field. Marco switched sports, and his coach later said he had no idea Marco would become such a great runner!

Marco's Amazing Running Career

Starting Strong in College

Marco Arop began his competitive running career in college. He ran for Mississippi State University. In 2018, he competed in the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Oregon. He finished in second place in the 800m race.

Pan American Games and First World Championships

In 2019, Marco won a gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in the 800m. He even set a new record for the Pan American Games! Later that year, he made his first appearance at the World Athletics Championships in Doha. He reached the final of the 800m and finished seventh.

After this, Marco decided to become a professional athlete. However, the COVID-19 pandemic meant that most of the 2020 running season was cancelled.

Olympic Debut and Diamond League Success

In 2021, Marco had his first full professional season. He earned a silver medal at the BAUHAUS-galan in Stockholm, which was his first time on the podium in the 2021 Diamond League series.

He was chosen to represent Canada at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Many thought he would win a medal in the 800m. However, he finished seventh in his semi-final and didn't make it to the final race. Marco and his coaches realized he often started his races too fast. This made him tired by the end.

But he quickly bounced back! At the Prefontaine Classic (another Diamond League event), Marco won the gold medal. He beat the Olympic gold and silver medalists! Just five days later, he won another Diamond League gold at the Athletissima in Lausanne. His great results qualified him for the Diamond League Final in Zürich, where he finished fourth.

World Championship Medals and New Records

Marco started 2022 by competing in the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade. He again started too fast in the 800m and finished eighth.

However, he soon won his third Diamond League gold medal at the British Grand Prix in Birmingham. The next month, he won another Canadian national title in the 800m. Weeks before the 2022 World Athletics Championships, he ran the 800m in 1:43.61, which was one of the fastest times that year.

At the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Marco ran very well. He had the fastest time in the first round of the 800m. He finished second in his semi-final, which meant he automatically qualified for the final. In the final, he won the bronze medal with a time of 1:44.28. This was only the second time a Canadian had won a medal in the 800m at the World Championships! Marco said this medal "means the world" to him.

Later in 2022, at a race in Monaco, he set a new Canadian record for the 1000m race. His time was 2:14.35.

Becoming a World Champion

In 2023, Marco Arop was ranked number one in the world for 800m runners. At the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, he won his first race and his semi-final.

In the final, Marco tried a new plan. He stayed at the back of the group for the first lap. After 500m, he moved to the front and stayed there, winning the gold medal! He was the first Canadian man to win the 800m at the World Athletics Championships. He said winning felt even better than he had imagined.

After his big win, Marco set a new personal best time of 1:43.24 at a Diamond League event in China. He finished second in that race. Then, at the end of the 2023 Diamond League season, he set another new Canadian record and personal best of 1:42.85.

Olympic Silver and More Records in 2024

Marco started 2024 by winning the 1000m race at an indoor event in Boston. He broke the Canadian record for the indoor 1000m with a time of 2:14.74. This also set a new North American record for the event!

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Marco made it to the final of the 800m. He won a silver medal, finishing second by just one hundredth of a second! He also set a new Canadian national record and North American record of 1:41.20. This amazing time made him the fourth fastest man in history at that distance.

In September 2024, Marco set another North American record in the 1000m race in Zagreb, Croatia. His time of 2:13.13 made him the fifth fastest man of all time at that distance.

In October 2024, it was announced that Marco would join the new Grand Slam Track league, created by famous sprinter Michael Johnson.

Major Competition Results

Here are some of Marco Arop's top results from major competitions:

See also

In Spanish: Marco Arop para niños