Last year’s Paris Olympics provided some incredible moments for Canadian track, arguably none more thrilling than the gold-medal victory in the men’s 4×100-meter relay final.
This weekend, that team of Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney, and Jerome Blake is back where their journey to Olympic gold began, the World Athletics Relays, and are eager to once again use the event as a launching pad.
This year’s meet in Guangzhou, China, provides a direct pathway to the big event on this season’s competition calendar: the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September.
Relay teams can qualify a spot at worlds by reaching their respective finals in Guangzhou.
“It’s super important. It all starts here in World Relays in China,” De Grasse said. “The main objective for us [is to] make sure that we qualify … so that we are at the world championships when it matters.”
After the highs reached by Canadian track athletes in Paris, there wasn’t much time for them to catch their breath before the build toward the world championships. Canadian head coach Glenroy Gilbert says this weekend’s competition is the perfect place for his athletes to zero in on the season ahead.
“You’re always driving towards the benchmark event,” Gilbert said. “We’re just coming off an Olympic year, so athletes’ focus or drive [and] determination wanes a little bit because of the whole Olympic high.”
Canada will be looking to qualify men’s and women’s teams in both the 4x100m and 4x400m events. Canadians will also run in the mixed 4x400m and 4x100m competitions, with the latter event making its debut at this World Relays.
“We’re always trying to qualify as many relays as we can for the world championships,” Gilbert said. “So right now we obviously want to give the athletes a positive experience, [and] a positive experience will come by way of them performing well enough at least to qualify the spot.
“The big focus will be in Tokyo later in the summer.”
Zoe Sherar, Alyssa Marsh, and Kyra Constantine – three members of the Canadian women’s 4x400m team that won bronze at the 2024 World Relays – will be among those back in action in Guangzhou.