Canada’s Relay Teams Secure Spots at World Championships

Both the men’s and women’s 4×100-metre relay teams from Canada have officially qualified for the upcoming 2025 World Athletics Championships. Their qualification was secured through impressive performances on Saturday during the World Athletics Relays held in Guangzhou, China.

Men’s 4x100m Team Performance

The men’s squad, consisting of Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney, and Jerome Blake, finished second in their heat. This performance not only advanced them to the finals scheduled for Sunday but also guaranteed their participation in the championships set to take place in Tokyo.

“We handled business,” stated Brown following the race. “The first order of business, like [head coach] Glenroy [Gilbert] said, was to qualify for Tokyo. So we checked that box off.”

De Grasse’s efforts in the anchor leg were crucial, as he managed to hold off competitors from Australia and the Netherlands, completing their round in 38.15 seconds, just behind Japan’s pace of 37.84 seconds.

Brown noted, “We ran a bit shaky, everyone kind of felt a little bit flat. But it’s the first round, and if Paris tells us anything, we make magic in the finals.” He emphasized their strategy to review their performance and strengthen for the finals.

Women’s 4x100m Team Achievements

Similarly, the Canadian women’s 4x100m relay team demonstrated their potential with a notable anchor leg from Sade McCreath, alongside teammates Marie-Éloise Leclair, Catherine Léger, and Audrey Leduc, which propelled them to secure their spot in Tokyo.

At the start of Leduc’s leg, Canada was in fourth place, but her swift sprint helped them clinch a second-place finish with a time of 43.11 seconds.

Leduc expressed her excitement, saying, “It’s a relief. It’s very exciting to get there on the first try, to do it in the heats and go to the final without having to do the other [repechage] round.”

Women’s 4x400m Team Qualification

The Canadian women’s 4x400m team, featuring Jasneet Nijjar, Zoe Sherar, Lauren Gale, and Madeline Price, also earned their place in the world championships. Despite finishing fourth in their heat, their time of 3:37.28 was sufficient for qualifying.

Mixed 4x100m Team Advances

In a significant debut, the mixed 4x100m team comprising Gabrielle Cole, Jacqueline Madogo, Duan Asemota, and Eliezer Adjibi achieved the fastest overall time across all heats, clocking in at 40.90 seconds, thus advancing to the finals.

Asemota remarked, “Now that we got our feet wet, we’re ready to go into the finals and let it all loose, and make Canada proud.”

Challenges Ahead

However, not every Canadian squad secured a spot. The mixed 4x400m team of Austin Cole, Alyssa Marsh, Nathan George, and Dianna Proctor will face a repechage round after finishing last in their heat with a time of 3:22.37. They will need to place in the top two of their upcoming race to qualify for Tokyo.

Event Schedule

Sunday’s Race Schedule:

• Mixed 4x100m final – 7:05 a.m. ET
• Mixed 4x400m repechage – 7:13 a.m. ET
• Women’s 4x400m repechage – 7:34 a.m. ET
• Men’s 4x400m repechage – 7:56 a.m. ET
• Women’s 4x100m repechage – 8:16 a.m. ET
• Men’s 4x100m repechage – 8:32 a.m. ET
• Mixed 4x400m final – 9:03 a.m. ET
• Women’s 4x100m final – 9:16 a.m. ET
• Men’s 4x100m final – 9:26 a.m. ET
• Women’s 4x400m final – 9:36 a.m. ET
• Men’s 4x400m final – 9:49 a.m. ET

Canadian Team Roster

The following athletes represent Canada at the World Athletics Relays:

• Aaron Brown – Men’s 4x100m, Mixed 4x100m (Toronto)
• Andre De Grasse – Men’s 4x100m, Mixed 4x100m (Markham, Ont.)
• Brendon Rodney – Men’s 4x100m, Mixed 4x100m (Etobicoke, Ont.)
• Duan Asemota – Men’s 4x100m, Mixed 4x100m (Ajax, Ont.)
• Eliezer Adjibi – Men’s 4x100m, Mixed 4x100m (Ottawa)
• Jerome Blake – Men’s 4x100m, Mixed 4x100m (Kelowna, B.C.)
• Malachi Murray – Men’s 4x100m, Mixed 4x100m (Edmonton)
• Norris Spike – Men’s 4x100m, Mixed 4x100m (Brampton, Ont.)
• Audrey Leduc – Women’s 4x100m, Mixed 4x100m (Laval, Que.)
• Catherine Leger – Women’s 4x100m, Mixed 4x100m (Montreal)
• Donna Ntambue – Women’s 4x100m, Mixed 4x100m (Montreal)
• Gabrielle Cole – Women’s 4x100m, Mixed 4x100m (Ajax, Ont.)
• Jackie Madogo – Women’s 4x100m, Mixed 4x100m (Guelph, Ont.)
• Marie-Éloïse Leclair – Women’s 4x100m, Mixed 4x100m (Candiac, Que.)
• Sade McCreath – Women’s 4x100m, Mixed 4x100m (Ajax, Ont.)
• Austin Cole – Mixed 4x400m (Sherwood Park, Alta.)
• Christopher Morales Williams – Mixed 4x400m (Maple, Ont.)
• Nathan George – Mixed 4x400m (Vancouver)
• Alyssa Marsh – Women’s 4x400m, Mixed 4x400m (Whitby, Ont.)
• Dianna Proctor – Women’s 4x400m, Mixed 4x400m (Edmonton)
• Jasneet Nijjar – Women’s 4x400m, Mixed 4x400m (Surrey, B.C.)
• Kyra Constantine – Women’s 4x400m, Mixed 4x400m (Brampton, Ont.)
• Lauren Gale – Women’s 4x400m, Mixed 4x400m (Ottawa)
• Madeline Price – Women’s 4x400m, Mixed 4x400m (Toronto)
• Micha Powell – Women’s 4x400m, Mixed 4x400m (Montreal)
• Zoe Sherar – Women’s 4x400m, Mixed 4x400m (Toronto)
• Ramone English* – Men’s 4x100m (Edmonton)

*Reserve