Canadian sprinter Morales Williams relieved to be 'on right path' for Olympic success
Young professional and national record holder to live out dream in Paris next month
Things have gone according to plan so far for Christopher Morales Williams.
The 19-year-old from Vaughan, Ont., is headed to his first Olympics to compete in the men's 400 metres. After wrapping up his sophomore season at the University of Georgia, where he clinched both the indoor and outdoor NCAA national titles, Morales Williams turned professional and signed a sponsorship deal with Adidas.
"Feels almost a bit of a relief," he said of his NCAA season. "It feels good that the progress is showing and that the plan that coach Karim [Abdel Wahab] and I planned out, worked.
"It just feels good to know that I'm on the right path with everything. It's nice knowing that indoor went well, outdoor went well and it just makes me excited for Olympics and next year and all the years to come."
The path forward was designed in 2023 when Morales Williams and Abdel Wahab — an assistant on the staff of Caryl Smith Gilbert, who also coached sprinter Andre De Grasse at the University of Southern California — came together upon the teen's return to campus to discuss his goals for this past season.
"He said, 'I wanna break the school record,"' Abdel Wahab said. "I said, 'OK, this is a great goal. It's not an easy goal, it will require a lot of hard work, let's put our head down and work the process and try to perfect our craft and ace every practice, one practice at a time, one day at a time."'
"I said, 'Well if you're in the 44 [second range], that means you can make the Olympic finals. So, let's make our goal to go to the Olympic finals and if we make the Olympic finals, all the possibilities will be open.' And that's how it started."
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Morales Williams ran an all-time best mark of 44.49 at the Southeastern Conference indoor championships before taking the national title. He proceeded to set a Canadian and school record of 44.05, also the previously world-leading time this year, at the Southeastern Conference outdoor championships before winning outdoor nationals as well.
Morales Williams now gets to live out his dream in Paris.
"It's amazing," he said. "It feels really, really good that it's something I've been dreaming about for a long time as a kid and I couldn't ask for more. All I really wanted was just to be able to get a scholarship and get my degree, but this is more than I could've asked for."
Olympics is 'cherry on top'
Despite taking yet another major step forward in his career, Morales Williams remains unfazed by the enormity of the Olympics.
"I'm not really going into this with so much pressure," he said. "I've done what I wanted to do this year, which is just win an outdoor national championship and I did indoor and outdoor, and I couldn't ask for more.
"I feel like the Olympics is the cherry on top."
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However, that doesn't change how he sees himself among the very best.
"I can go out there and compete with [the best in the world]," he said. "I think I have a chance just like everybody else. But of course, every year is different, some years are faster than others, some years are slower.
"I think I can fit into the mix; I think I belong there."
Morales Williams looks up to De Grasse. Along with being inspired by his performances, they both trained at The Speed Academy in Pickering, Ont., under coach Tony Sharpe, before continuing under Smith Gilbert's coaching in the NCAA.
"They're similar in that they're able to perform at the highest level when it matters," Sharpe said. "The ability to achieve performances that get them on the podium, that break records, world No. 1 performances, in major events. And that's really what it takes to be a great athlete in any sport."
De Grasse, a six-time Olympic medallist and the reigning 200 Olympic champion, is excited for Morales Williams.
"I'm looking forward to watching him and seeing what he could do," he said. "He just has to go out there and be mentally strong now, he has the physical capability, he has the talent, he's put in the work.
"I told him he can do it; he can get on that podium and don't be scared of the big dogs. Just go out there and be yourself, enjoy the moment, have fun and just represent."
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