Melissa Bishop sets Canadian indoor record in 800m

Melissa Bishop needed fewer than six months to become Canada's fastest woman in the 800 metres, indoors and outdoors.

The 27-year-old from Eganville, Ont., ran a season best 2:00.60 at the Athlone International indoor track meet in Ireland on Wednesday, breaking Diane Cummins' Canadian mark of 2:00.66 that stood since Feb. 28, 2003.

Last Aug. 27, Bishop surpassed Cummins' 2001 outdoor record of 1:58.39 by clocking 1:57.52 at the world track and field championships in Beijing.

Wednesday's victory at a packed AIT International Arena was never in doubt as Bishop led from gun to tape, crossing the line nearly two seconds before Great Britain's Adelle Tracey (2:02.34) and Ukraine's Anastasiya Tkachuk (2:02.44).

In June 2012, Bishop became the third Canadian to eclipse the two-minute barrier, joining Charmaine Crooks (1:58.52 in 1990) and Cummins (1:58.39).

Also Wednesday, Toronto resident Shawn Barber set a stadium record, soaring over 5.79m in the men's pole vault to beat Sam Kendricks (5.71m) of the United States.

In early January, the 21-year-old world champion cleared 5.88m in Texas and followed it up a week later with a 5.70m clearance in Akron, Ohio.

On Jan. 16, Barber became the 19th and youngest man to join the six-metre club and ninth man to clear that height indoors when he broke his own Canadian record on his first attempt at 6.00m at the Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nev.

Last summer, the New Mexico-born Barber won Canada's first world title in track and field in 12 years.