Canada’s men’s 4×100-metre relay team has a chance at Olympic glory after a strong performance in Thursday’s heats at Stade de France in Paris.
The Canadian team of Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake, Brendon Rodney, and Andre De Grasse ran a time of 38.39 seconds to finish third in Heat 2.
Canada was briefly in first place before a difficult pass from Rodney to De Grasse slowed them down.
Athlétisme 👟 : au relais masculin 4 x 100 m, les Canadiens 🇨🇦 terminent troisièmes de leur vague et accèdent à la finale!@AthleticsCanada #Paris2024 #rcsports pic.twitter.com/QFwxLqZeny
— Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) August 8, 2024
De Grasse, Canada’s flag-bearer during the Opening Ceremony, ran the anchor leg in a thrilling finish. In the final stretch, he faced a tough challenge from Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson.
With the finish line in sight, De Grasse, who recently admitted to dealing with a hamstring injury, managed to pull ahead, clinching third place and ensuring Canada’s spot in Friday’s final.
The top three teams from each heat and the next two fastest teams automatically qualify for the final.
Canada’s men’s relay team has a strong track record on the Olympic stage. In Tokyo 2020, the team initially clocked 37.70 seconds to finish third but was later upgraded to silver after a British athlete was disqualified.
Meanwhile, on the women’s side, Sade McCreath, Jacqueline Madogo, Marie-Eloise Leclair, and Audrey Leduc set a new Canadian record on Thursday, putting together a time of 42.50 seconds in the 4×100-metre relay.
They finished fourth in their heat and have also advanced to their respective final.
Both the men’s and women’s Olympic medal races will get going tomorrow and try to add to Canada’s medal total, which currently sits at 20. The women’s race takes place at 1:30 pm ET/10:30 am PT, while the men race at 1:47 pm ET/10:47 am PT.