Legendary track coach's unwavering support has Canada's Flanagan on path to 2024 Olympics

Ben Flanagan remembers legendary track coach Ron Warhurst being a keen observer at his college training sessions, offering encouragement and support during the early years of his retirement from the University of Michigan.

"I watched him run at a cross-country meet. He was five-foot-six, 125 [pounds] soaking wet," Warhurst recalled in a phone interview with CBC Sports. "I saw how tough he was. Cross-country's grueling and he handled it well.

"Then he went to the track and I watched him run the last three laps at the 2018 NCAA championships in the 10,000 [metres] and he stayed with the leader. The [other] guy got away but [Flanagan] never broke or fell off the back end. Benny had the presence to sprint the last 100 and beat that kid. I said, 'that kid's got a lot of balls.'"

The "kid" from Kitchener, Ont., who hadn't stood out much until then, has accomplished plenty since. On Saturday, the 28-year-old set his second Canadian record in six months, reaching the finish of the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) 5k in 13 minutes 26 seconds for second place — nine seconds ahead of Charles Philibert-Thiboutot's winning time and national mark from last year's road race.

The 79-year-old Warhurst, who was unable to watch the race following knee replacement surgery last week, is "tremendously encouraged" by the performance as Flanagan pursues a spot with the Canadian Olympic team for Paris next summer after an unsuccessful attempt in 2021.

"You see the people that have run [the B.A.A. 5K] and the career success they had. Some impressive people that didn't run 13:26," said Warhurst, referring to U.S. 50K record holder Josh Cox and 2016 Olympic 5,000-metre bronze medallist Hagos Gebrhiwet of Ethiopia.

In late January, Flanagan ran