Canadian runner Philibert-Thiboutot qualifies for Paris 2024 in Diamond League season debut

Charles Philibert-Thiboutot will represent Canada at the Olympics for a second time next July in Paris.

In his first attempt at the automatic qualifying standard of three minutes, 33.50 second  in the men's 1,500 metres, the middle-distance runner clocked 3:33.29 in his Diamond League season debut on Sunday in Silesia, Poland.

"I'm hoping the race will be fast [and] obviously I'll have the Olympic standard in mind," Philibert-Thiboutot told CBC Sports this week. "It would be nice to [hit it] right away."

The Olympic qualifying window opened July 1, just 13 days after the Quebec City athlete lowered his personal best to 3:32.94 in Nancy, France. He ran 3:33.54 eight days earlier in Montesson, France, to end an eight-year drought between PBs and meet the 3:34.20 auto standard for the Aug. 19-27 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

"As soon as I crossed the [finish] line the first time in France, there was so much joy that all that frustration and doubts I had over the years were gone," said Philibert-Thiboutot, who was 12th of 14 finishers on Sunday.

"It was like validation that all those years of hard work, at least to me, were definitely worth it."

Over the years, Philibert-Thiboutot's PB attempts were disrupted at various times by the following injuries: Stress fracture in his right foot, a left Achilles problem, lower back issues, torn left calf and a sciatic nerve problem.

The four-time Canadian champion also encountered bad luck with race conditions not on his side, whether it was poor weather or getting bodied, tripped a lot and not being able to find a rhythm as was the case last month racing at the Portland Track Festival.

"The years between 2017 and 2020 when the injuries were major, you're