Canadian 400m star Christopher Morales Williams turns pro ahead of Olympic debut

Christopher Morales Williams is going pro.

The 19-year-old from Vaughan, Ont., announced his decision on Friday after two standout years at the University of Georgia.

Morales Williams emerged as a rising star in athletics this year, becoming the indoor and outdoor NCAA national champion in the men's 400 metres.

He signed a deal with Adidas and made his Diamond League debut on Friday, just hours after his announcement and a few weeks before his first Olympics. The terms of the deal were undisclosed.

"Very exciting. I guess I always look at it, maybe the older you get, the less emotions you have. But because I'm only 19, I'm only a kid, it's really cool," he said. "Only last year, I didn't even think I could be good enough to go to a [Division One] school or ever be a pro. I never thought I could be this good."

Morales Williams finished sixth with a time of 44.05 seconds in his pro debut at the Diamond League event in Monaco. American Quincy Hall won the race in a world-leading time of 43.80.

WATCH l Morales Williams finishes 6th in pro debut:

Morales Williams consulted with his father, Raul, and coach Tony Sharpe — a 4x100 Olympic medallist from The Speed Academy in Pickering, Ont., who has trained him since middle school — before deciding to turn pro.

"I just feel as though I've got to go out there, compete with the pros, live out the dream and see what I'm capable of. That's the only way that I'm going to be able to grow as a person and as an athlete," he said.

Morales Williams plans to remain in Athens, Ga., to train at the University of Georgia where he'll also continue his studies, working toward a degree in ecology.

"At the end of the day, I still need to get my degree first, right? I do want to graduate, and so