Canadian track and field fans who attended Day 4 of the Bell Canadian Olympic Track and Field Trials expected something magical from the men’s 800m final, but the women’s 800m final stole the show. Jazz Shukla of Toronto recorded a massive personal best of 1:58.20 in the women’s final, winning the Canadian title, smashing the Olympic 800m standard, and punching her ticket to her first Olympic Games.
Shukla’s winning time makes her the second-fastest woman in Canadian history over 800m, only behind Melissa Bishop-Nriagu’s 1:57.01. Shukla’s previous best came earlier this season at the L.A. Track Festival on May 11, where she broke the two-minute 800m mark for the first time in her career with a time of 1:59.94. Her winning time from Canadian Olympic Trials is well below the women’s 800m standard of 1:59.30.
“My plan was to just go for it,” Shukla told Canadian Running post-race. “I saw this final as an opportunity to chase a good time, and I wanted to make it fast and surprise myself.”
The world championship 800m semi-finalist from Budapest 2023 said she knew after warming up that something special was coming. “I told my coach after warming up that I had never felt this good during a warm-up before,” laughed Shukla.
Once the gun went off, Shukla said she felt great and even closed her eyes when she came around at the 400m split. “I didn’t want to see the time, I just kept up my effort,” she said.
Shukla won the race by almost four seconds ahead of Toronto’s Aurora Rynda, who recorded her second-fastest time of the 2024 season with a 2:02.04 finish. Rynda sits on the bubble for Paris 2024 in the World Athletics rankings and will have to wait until July 7 to find out if she will be competing alongside Shukla. Rounding out the podium for bronze was Addy Townsend of Coquitlam, B.C., finishing in 2:03.15.
For full results from Day 4 of the Bell Canadian Track and Field Olympic Trials, check here.
The 2024 Bell Canadian Olympic Track and Field Trials are taking place from June 26-30 at the Complexe Sportif Claude-Robillard in Montreal. All our action and coverage is brought to you by Canadian Running and New Balance Canada. Follow us on Twitter on Instagram for all things Canadian Olympic Trials and up-to-date exclusive news and content.
