After salvaging career, DeBues-Stafford betting on herself to run world 1,500 and 5,000m double

It was June 2024 and Gabriela DeBues-Stafford had arrived in Burnaby, B.C., for the Harry Jerome Track Classic. Her hopes to run the 1,500 metres at the Paris Olympics that summer were "dead in the water" but remained alive in the 5,000.

About one hour before the women's 5,000, DeBues-Stafford had a meltdown and felt she couldn't take the start line at Swangard Stadium. After talking with her husband and then-new coach Rowan DeBues, a former assistant with the University of Victoria cross-country and track team, she decided to compete.

Late in the race, DeBues-Stafford trailed Alma Cortez by nearly 30 metres but delivered an "insane" final lap, DeBues recalled, blowing past her Mexican opponent and winning by one second in 15 minutes 17.48 seconds.

"She knew if she wanted a chance at [qualifying for Paris] she had to go sub-15:20 and win because of the bonus points for winning," he recalled in a recent interview with CBC Sports as DeBues-Stafford prepared for this week's Canadian Track and Field Championships in Ottawa.

But coming off two injury-marred seasons, the Toronto native failed to qualify for her second Olympics and first since 2021 in Tokyo by one world ranking point, the equivalent of 0.3 seconds across [her best] three 5,000m [qualifying races].

Six days later, she ran 4:19.38 for ninth place in the 1,500 at the Montreal Classic and was prepared to leave competitive racing. DeBues-Stafford had clocked 4:23.48 five weeks earlier, a long way from her 3:56.12 Canadian record that has stood since 2019.

"I felt confused, broken and fell out of love with the sport. I wasn't enjoying it," she remembered. "It's not an easy sport, even when you're fit and healthy. I was very close to [retiring] last June."

"In the