The competition did not have the prestige of the Diamond League of Monaco, where Charles Philibert-Thiboutot had his entries a few years ago.
But the peloton was of quality, the hares well prepared and the conditions ideal, last Saturday, at the FAST5000 meeting in Montesson, near Paris. There were even fireworks!
Philibert-Thiboutot had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time and he did not miss it. Eight years after a personal best in the 1500m recorded at the Louis-II stadium in Monaco, the 32-year-old runner has finally managed to improve his mark. A deliverance.
“These last two years, I still had good results, but you are never completely satisfied, even if it remains positive seasons, he noted two days after his performance. But from 2017 to 2020, the balance sheets were quite negative. It’s as if in one race, all that was erased and was worth it. That’s the beauty of sport. »
Philibert-Thiboutot stopped the clock at 3:33.54, almost three-quarters of a second better than his previous high of 3:34.23, which he had almost equaled a year later, still at the meeting. Herculis of Monaco (3:24.24).
It was, however, a very bad start. Starting from the inside, the only Canadian at the start was quickly swallowed up by the falling peloton. He was able to avoid a fall in front of him and a rival being knocked over by another – middle distance can be a contact sport.
When he got past Narve Gilje Nordas in fourth or fifth place, he knew he was in the right place. A specialist in the 5000m, the Norwegian is a protege of Gjert Ingebrigsten, father of the formidable Henrik, Filip and Jakob, who is enjoying a remarkable ascent over 1500m this year. He stuck to his sneakers.
After three laps, Philibert-Thiboutot read 2:49 on the dial, a happy omen.
“It was exactly the same lap time I had in Monaco in 2015. I felt 100 times better. I was like, “If you stick it out, it’ll be fast.” »
As Nordas soared to victory in 3:32.39, Philibert-Thiboutot kept up the pace for the final 300 meters to resist the comeback of his pursuers, finishing second. He quickly fell into the arms of bronze medalist, Frenchman Jimmy Gressier, a friend who received him this week at INSEP in Paris.
“A new PB (Editor’s note: personal best, or best personal time) over 1500 m after eight years, I will not lie: it feels good in ***********”, published the Quebecer a few minutes later on his Twitter message, with a lot of smiles.
The Rio Olympics semi-finalist (2016) suffered a foot injury in 2019, among other things, which prevented him from running for six months. Back pain also slowed him down, forcing him to completely overhaul his stride. In 2021, a spike in the race probably caused him to miss qualifying for the last Tokyo Olympics. He reached the clock three weeks after the deadline…
Athletics Canada removed him from the federal funding and support program. The main interested party pleaded that he continued his progress, as evidenced by his times in the 5000 m, a new string to his bow.
At the last Worlds in Oregon last summer, he missed the 1500m final by a few hundredths. “I was in good shape the last two years. I was mostly frustrated because the opportunity [to run fast] didn’t come. »
Rare in his thirties to achieve a personal best in his discipline, Philibert-Thiboutot also reached the minimum for the World Championships in Budapest at the end of August. He will nevertheless have to confirm his participation in the Canadian Championships in Langley, a month earlier. He points to four hundredths of the Paris Olympic standard, which he will be able to achieve from July 1.
The half-back also recovers his status as the fastest Quebecer in history over 1,500 m. Officially, his 2015 time still stood, but William Paulson, his Université Laval Rouge et Or teammate, did better twice last year (3:33.97).
The records committee of the Quebec Athletics Federation, however, did not recognize this time since Paulson, who has dual Canadian and British citizenship, was not a resident of Quebec.
“Even though Will grew up in Great Britain, he was immersed in Quebec culture, pleaded Philibert-Thiboutot. The federation is a little funny, but for me, it was Will who had it. »
The protege of coach Félix-Antoine Lapointe now holds all the provincial marks from 1000 to 10,000 m. “If I could end my career with this painting, it would be a great achievement for me. »
But he is aiming higher: the Canadian record of 3:31.71 (Kevin Sullivan, 2000), which he has been thinking about since 2016, but above all a good performance in Hungary next summer.
“We’ve been banging our heads against the walls for a long time to make this personal best, but the fact remains that the end goal is to be competitive at the Worlds, specifies the one who now points to third place in all time in the country. If I want to make a top 5, it will take 3 min 30 s in the final. That’s the goal, ultimately. »
Charles Philibert-Thiboutot lines up for the Stanislas de Nancy meeting on Sunday before returning to Quebec to get back to work for the Canadian Championships. On June 29, he will work on his pure speed by taking the start of the 800m of the Classique d’athlétisme de Montréal, at the Claude-Robillard sports complex. The heart as light as its stride.
