Bishop-Nriagu

Minutes after Melissa Bishop-Nriagu ran the race of her life, but finished a bittersweet fourth in the 800-metre final at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, she was asked whether her career was winding down.

“Oh, heck no it’s not over,” the then 28-year-old Eganville, Ont., native responded. “We’re just getting started.”

In this delayed Olympic year with so many variables, Bishop-Nriagu moved with her family to Victoria, B.C., to be able to train in relatively mild weather without having to relocate to the warmer climates of the U.S. The weather, her training and the proximity to coach Trent Stellingwerff has paid dividends in 2021, as Bishop-Nriagu has shown the kind of form that put her among the elite in her distance.

She dipped under the Olympic standard at the start of May, clocking in at 1:59.40 to win High Performance Meet #3 in California. A week later, she cut more than three-quarters of a second off that time, for her fastest time since 2017 and finishing third in a stacked field with a time of 1:58.62 at the Golden Games in California.

Her road to Rio had unfolded over a decade or more, beginning with her winning multiple U SPORTS (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sport) 800-metre titles for the University of Windsor and continuing with some post-university late-blooming in the run-up to the 2016 Rio Games.

Her apprenticeship took her to London, England, after Bishop qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games. She finished fifth in her preliminary 800-metre heat and did not advance, but she learned some tough lessons.

Under her personal coach, the late Dennis Fairall, who had mentored Bishop-Nriagu during her university career, she blossomed into a world-class competitor in the run-up to the 2016 Olympic Games.

Bishop-Nriagu won gold at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto in a time of 1:59.62, then ran to silver medal at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing.

In her semi-final heat in Beijing, Bishop ran a personal best and Canadian-record time of 1:57.52, which she has since surpassed multiple times, becoming the first Canadian woman in history to run 800 metres in less than one minute 58 seconds, earning a World silver medal, and declaring herself a force to be reckoned with.

In 2016, Bishop-Nriagu kept right on lowering her Canadian record, regularly carving seconds off her best times. She won the 800 metres at the TrackTown Classic in Edmonton in 1:57.43. Then she bettered that Olympic tune-up result by running 1:57.02 en route to fourth-place finish in the Olympic final in Rio de Janeiro, a thrilling race won by South African runner Caster Semenya in an astonishing time of 1:55.28.

Bishop-Nriagu launched her 2017 campaign with a time of 1:59.52 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore., in May, with her sights firmly set on the IAAF World Championships in London, England, that August. The Eugene race was won by Olympic Champion Semenya in 1:57.78. Margaret Wambui (1:57.88) of Kenya was second and Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi (1:59.10) was third. In a different order, they formed the podium in Rio, as well.

As the 2017 season progressed, Bishop-Nriagu would lower the Canadian record once again, with a remarkable run in Monaco crossing the finish line fifth in a time of 1:57.01. That feat came two weeks after she brought a packed house to its feet at the 2017 Canadian Track & Field Championships with a gold medal at her home track.

At the World Championships in London that year, Bishop-Nriagu started in lane six for the women’s 800-metre final. Hoping to erase the memories of her fourth-place finish in Rio, she put herself in a good position after 400-metres. Though she fought hard and had a strong race, Bishop crossed the finish line fifth in a time of 1:57.68. The entire field went under 1:59 that day.

Taking time away from the track during the 2018 season to start a family, Bishop-Nriagu and her husband, long-time Lancer teammate Osi Nriagu, gave birth to daughter Corinne in July 2018.

With a new supporter when she gets home from practice and competitions, Bishop-Nriagu opened her 2019 season by winning the Johnny Loaring Classic 1500-metre race with a time of 4:09.36 (a new personal best), she would follow it up with her 800-metre dominance at the Speed River Inferno, clocking in at 2:01.10.

As the 2019 season progressed, Bishop-Nriagu struggled with post-pregnancy injuries and shut her season down early, missing the 2019 World Championships. “It was just injury after injury. I was ready to do the work, but my body couldn’t handle the load that I needed to put on it to perform at that level. And it’s not uncommon in women coming back to elite sport or coming back to sport or exercise in general. It’s just a different ball game.”

When she kicked off the 2021 season, Bishop-Nriagu said “It’s more or less like I haven’t been on the running scene for the better part of three years, just given babies and injuries and a pandemic.” Securing the Olympic Entry Standard on May 2 in Chula Vista wasn’t just a relief after a year wiped out by COVID-10, but a triumphant moment that was a long time coming.