The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
07.09.2017 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Sophomore hurdler claims first major title
Canadian Track & Field Championships
Live Results |
OTTAWA, Canada – Texas sophomore Kirema Macharia claimed gold on Sunday morning to win his first major title as he crossed first at the Canadian Track & Field Championships in the 400 meter hurdles.
Macharia finished first with a time of 51.30 seconds to out-do second place by .38. This marks Macharia's first major title and completes his best year on the track after he set personal bests multiple times throughout the Longhorns' 2017 season.
"This is such a huge accomplishment for Kirema while competing in his first-ever Canadian Championships." said Texas Associate Head Coach and Macharia's event coach Tonja Buford-Bailey. "He has made some great advances this season in the event and as a collegiate athlete. His will to win is unmatched and he is one of the hardest working kids I've had the privilege to coach. The way he bounced back from the devastating loss of his father last year shows you that this is a young man who is determined to fight against all odds. We are all so proud of him."
Texas Head Coach Mario Sategna echoed those sentiments saying that Macharia should be proud of what he has accomplished this year and especially proud to win his first national title and set the tone moving forward.
"What a great end to the 2017 season with his victory at the Canadian Championships. He's really evolved this year and we certainly look for some great things to come out of that 400 hurdle group led by Kirema now," Sategna said. "It's really something for him to build upon. The experience competing this late in the season is going to pay dividends in his career down the road.
"I'm so proud of Kirema and everything that he has stood for this year. I know he's been through a lot, but we're excited and proud to have him as a part of the Longhorn family. This is just the first step in what he's going to long term in his career at Texas and post-collegiately."
Also representing Texas at the Canadian Championships was sophomore Mariam Abdul-Rashid. She finished in fifth place in the women's 400 meter hurdles with her time of 58.49 seconds. It was a tight finish for bronze with a trio of runners chasing after a pair of Olympians in the lead. Rashid held third place going over the eighth hurdle but was over taken down the stretch to finish fifth.
Macharia will have to wait on Athletics Canada to make its official announcement of members of Team Canada on July 17 to see if he will compete at the IAAF World Championships later this summer in London. Macharia has not achieved the IAAF Qualifying Standard time for the 400 hurdles yet, but could chase the mark by running another meet before the selection. He has a season best time of 51.03, and the standard is 49.35.
