For the first time since 1928, Canada will have two men in the 200-metre final. On that day, Percy Williams took gold and teammate John Fitzpatrick finished fifth.

More than 90 years later, Andre De Grasse and Aaron Brown will join them in the history books. De Grasse will go for his second medal of these Games, finishing first in his 200-metre heat in a new Canadian record time of 19.73 seconds.

“I’m really happy about it. I broke my national record and it’s been five years since I’ve done that,” said De Grasse. “It feels good that I still have my 200-metre legs in me. I’m feeling good and ready for tomorrow.

Aaron Brown’s season-best time of 19.99 seconds was also good for first place in his 200-metre semi-final, as he prepares for his first final in Tokyo.

“I got a good start. I wanted to drive for the first 40 or 50 metres and really set myself up well off the corner,” said Brown. “Then I just stayed relaxed and took it home. I wasn’t really interested in shifting gears. I didn’t even know I won. The focus was just qualifying for the final.”

Camryn Rogers also made history today, scoring the best Olympic hammer throw finish by a Canadian. Rogers finished fifth in the event, with a top throw of 74.35 metres.

“First Olympic Games, and being among such incredible, talented and experienced women, I think there’s always more you wish you could do but, if anything, my results show me that there’s a lot more left in the tank,” said Rogers. “I’m all the more excited to build off it next year and to start planning for three years from now.”

Mohammed Ahmed came in second place in Heat 1 of the men’s 5,000 metres in a time of 13:38.96 and he has qualified for the final. “It was good. The objective was tough out there, so I’m happy. I felt confident,” said Ahmed. “Now I want to go for a medal – to win.”

Justyn Knight took third place in Heat 2 of the men’s 5,000 metres, registering a time of 13:30.22 in a very physical semi-final. Knight joins Ahmed in the final. “I was prepared for anything. I was prepared if it was going to be a fast race, I was prepared if it was going to be a sit-and-kick. The one thing I knew I had to do was stay aware of my surroundings,” said Knight. “I don’t feel any pressure. There is a big group of guys with better accolade than I have. No matter who I’m racing, I’m just going to give it my best out there and make sure I finish strong with everybody.”

Lucas Bruchet clocked in with a time of 13:44.08, good for 13th place. “Being here again after the ups and downs of the past few years was really the culmination of such a unique year for everybody,” said Bruchet. “The pandemic was an opportunity for me to find why I love it [racing], and what makes it special to me. This whole year was about finding balance. I went back to school and became a high school physical education teacher, and what I have been playing back in mind this year was to do my best on the day.”

Tim Nedow’s top throw in his men’s shot put qualifier was 19.42 metres, which put the Canadian thrower in 16th place in his group.

“It was probably my toughest competition since I came out of college. I haven’t gone under 20 metres in the past four years,” said Nedow. “I’m not going to make any rash decisions. I would like to stick around the sport. This is my second Olympics and I’m 30 years old, but there’s a good group of guys here that I would definitely like to compete with,”

Morning session turns up the heat

A trio of Canadian men embarked on qualifying for the 200 metres Monday morning in Tokyo.

De Grasse was in fine form, coasting to the line and finishing third in his heat with a time of 20.56 seconds to advance to the semifinals. “I was just trying to qualify. I wanted to finish well,” said De Grasse. “I’m just trying to conserve some energy for tonight. I feel good. I’m just going to go back for rest and recovery and come back tonight.”

Brown got his Olympics off to a fast start, running 20.38 seconds to finish first in his 200-metre heat. “The main thing was just to survive an event, set myself up with a lane in the semi, then get out of here and get some good rest and eat,” said Brown. “Hopefully I’ll nap – probably not, because I’m too wired – but rest up for the semifinals.”

Brendon Rodney rounded out the trio of Canadian men in 200-metre qualifying. He finished sixth in his heat, in a time of 20.60 seconds and did not qualify for the semifinals. “Looks like I finished first person out again, same as in 2016,” said Rodney. “It’s hot out there. I don’t know if the track is fast. I ran slow.”

As for Elizabeth Gleadle’s attempt to qualify for the women’s javelin final, her top throw in qualification was 58.19 metres, good for 11th in Group A. The three-time Olympian did not qualify for the final.

“This year was an incredible year of training, and I had an incredible warm-up,” said Gleadle. “Obviously, I did not throw well. I don’t feel good about it. It was the worst mark I’ve ever had at an international Games. It’s one of those things where you’re so defined by the journey, not by what you do here. This can define you, but you become a different person through the process, not the outcome.”

Kyra Constantine and Natassha McDonald made their respective Olympic debuts in the women’s 400 metres. McDonald finished with a time of 53.54 seconds to put her in seventh spot in Heat 5. Kyra Constantine finished fifth in Heat 1, clocking in with a time of 51.69 seconds, advancing to the 400-metre final.

“I’m just glad I get the opportunity to come out here and bring my childhood dream to life,” said Constantine. “I’ve been dreaming about this since I was eight years old, so to actually be here shows that all the hard work and sacrifice, all the dedication I’ve put into this sport for the past decade and a half really paid off.”

“I know who I am as an athlete and that was not me at all,” said McDonald. “I had a hard couple of weeks coming into this competition, so I did my best. I did what I can do. I will be better in time for the 4×400-metre relay. I’m not going to let this put me down and discourage myself.”