Andre De Grasse saw Aaron Brown explode out of the blocks and take the corner at lightning speed.
Posted at 9:14 p.m.
Daniel Rainbird
The Canadian Press
Brown passed the baton to Jerome Blake, who sprinted in lane 9. Brendon Rodney then kept the pace by moving towards the last member of the Canadian relay, at the Stade de France.
“I’ve never seen those three guys run like that,” De Grasse said. They had the race of their lives. »
De Grasse took the final baton and the rest is history.
Bored in the back of his thigh, the star sprinter propelled Canada’s underrated 4x100m relay team across the finish line for an unexpected gold medal Aug. 9 at the Olympic Games in Paris.
“Those guys controlled the race,” coach Glenroy Gilbert said. And once the stick was in Andre’s hands, it became obvious.
“There’s no better guy with ice water in his veins to take the stick at the end. »
The relay made up of Brown, Blake, Rodney and De Grasse was named the team of the year in 2024, according to the poll conducted by the Canadian Press.
PHOTO NATHAN DENETTE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Andre De Grasse, Brendon Rodney, Aaron Brown and Jerome Blake of the Canadian 4x100m relay team celebrate their gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Paris, France, August 9, 2024
De Grasse tied swimmer Penny Oleksiak as Canada’s Olympic athlete with the most podium finishes, with seven medals.
The team’s triumph made up for disappointing individual performances, with all four sprinters failing to reach the final in Paris.
The relay received 37 of 53 votes from journalists, broadcasters and editors across the country.
Rachel Homan’s team finished second with seven votes, after winning the Canadian and world curling championships.
The Edmonton Oilers, defeated in the Stanley Cup final, and beach volleyball duo Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson, Olympic silver medalists, finished third with three votes each.
Brown, Blake, Rodney and De Grasse aspire to compete in the 2028 Games, knowing a lot can change between now and then.
For now, they are looking towards the 2025 world championships in Tokyo.
“We’ll have a target on our back, that’s for sure,” Rodney said. We just have to make sure we look our best.
“It’s always difficult to be motivated after the Olympics, but the motivation lies in the fact that you are now targeted. »
