Lively runner sets personal best time in Belgium

The disappointment over not competing at the 2015 Pan American Games has not slowed down local distance runner Ross Proudfoot. Quite literally.

After being named to the Canadian Athletics Pan Am team, and subsequently removed due to what essentially amounted to an "administrative error,” Proudfoot showed no ill-effects, representing the country at the 2015 Summer Universiade (FISU Games) in Gwangju, South Korea.

The Lively native and recent graduate of Guelph University qualified for the finals of the men's 5000m, finishing fourth in his heat in a time of 14:09.00.

Come the finals, Proudfoot held on to fifth place with a time of 14:13.30, edging Hironori Tsuetaki of Japan by 24/100th of a second, and Mohamed Agourram of Morocco by just over half a second.

The event was captured by Hayle Ibrahimov of Azerbaijan (13:44.28), with Zouhair Talbi of Morocco taking silver (14:02.06) and Rinas Akhmadeev of Russia taking the bronze (14:05.88).

Wasting little time jumping quickly back into race form, Proudfoot departed for Europe, the site of some very quick 5km races.

Competing in Huesden (Belgium) at the KBC Nacht Track & Field Meet, the Track North Athletic Club product recorded a new personal best time of 13:29.32, less than five seconds off the 2016 Rio Olympics qualifying standard of 13:25.00.

A new personal best time propelled Proudfoot to a third place finish in a field that included athletes representing eight different countries.

The 23-year-old former Lo-Ellen Park Knight capped off his illustrious university career this past spring, honoured as the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) Male Athlete of the Year.