If a weekend in the Bahamas sounds like paradise, you aren’t alone. Two Canadian relay teams are bringing home souvenirs from the World Athletics Relays this weekend in Nassau.
If a week in Paris this summer sounds a dream, that dream became a reality for a few more Canadians because three Canadian relay teams qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Need more than just the official times? Let’s dive deep into Team Canada’s performance at the 2024 World Athletics Relays.
Team Canada Makes History
Coming into Bahamas24, Canada had won a total of two medals in the five previous editions of the World Relays: Gold in the men’s 4x200m in 2017 and silver in the 4x400m event in 2019.
This year’s team won two medals on Sunday, doubling our total, with the men’s 4x100m squad earning silver and the women’s 4x400m team racing to bronze.
The 4x400m mixed relay team set a new National Record and don’t forget three teams qualifying for Paris 2024.
Men’s 4x100m Team Wins Silver
They’re back. The 2022 4x100m world champions and 2021 Olympic medallists Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake, Brendon Rodney, and Andre De Grasse finished second in the final with a time of 37.89 seconds. The U.S. captured gold and France took bronze.
“We’re disappointed because we want to win. But we know what we’ve got to fix to get there at the top of the podium in Paris, so we’re not done,” said Brown.
“We know that we’ve ran 37.4, that the U.S. won with today. We know we can run that,” De Grasse said.
Bronze for Women’s 4x400m Team
Canada’s Zoe Sherar, Aiyanna Stiverne, Alyssa Marsh and Kyra Constantine finished third in the women’s 4x400m relay final with a time of 3:27.17. The U.S. won gold, while Poland took silver.
"I was nervous because we were in the first lane, but we handled it really well. I'm really excited and I think we just executed really well," said Stiverne.
Women’s 4x100m Team Qualifies for Olympics
For the first time since 2016, Canada will field a team in the Olympic women’s 4x100m relay competition.
Sade McCreath, Marie-Éloïse Leclair, Audrey Leduc and Crystal Emmanuel-Ahye earned a spot on the start line in Paris by finishing second in their heat on Saturday night with a time of 42.98 seconds – good for a trip to the final and Olympic qualification for Canada.
“The energy is incredible. I just wanted to feed off of that. That really helps you push that much more. You really want to put on a good show for family and the country back home,” McCreath said.
The quartet of sprinters were 7th in the final, clocking in with a time of 43.09 seconds.
Canadian Record for Mixed Relay Team
Canada’s mixed 4x400m relay team finished third in their repechage heat Sunday night, setting a new Canadian record in the process: 3:14.66.
Michael Roth, Lauren Gale, Callum Robinson and Maddy Price finished just outside the top 2 spots that would guarantee automatic Olympic qualification.
“It’s heartbreaking … there’s no way around that. It hurts to be that close and not be able to finish the way I know I can, for the team and for Canada,” Price said. “A national record – we’re really proud. We have so much depth and hopefully we’ll get one of those time qualifiers.”
A day earlier, a lineup of Tyler Floyd, Gale, Robinson, and Price were 5th in their heat with a time of 3:16.65.
Men’s 4x400m Team Earns Season’s Best
The team of Myles Misener-Daley, Marco Arop, Ibrahim Ayorinde, and Jalon White set a season’s best time of 3:03.29 in the men’s 4x400m relay repechage round Sunday night. Unfortunately, their time did not crack the top 2 in their heat to qualify for a spot at the Olympic Games.
“I felt pretty good. I was trying to be patient on the back stretch and correct my mistakes from yesterday. I think I could have closed a little bit better, but I gave it the best shot I had today,” said Arop.
The day before, a lineup of White, Arop, Christopher Morales-Williams and Misener-Daley finished 5th in their heat with a time of 3:05.02.
Quota Spots for Paris 2024
Here are the quota spots Canada has earned in Athletics at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, so far. Individual athletes will be names when a quota spot is awarded to the athlete by name (per the qualification system) or if Athletics Canada has confirmed their nomination.
| Event | Gender | Entries | Athletes |
| Marathon | Women | 1 | Malindi Elmore |
| Marathon | Men | 1 | Cameron Levins |
| Marathon Race Walk Relay | Mixed | 1 | Evan Dunfee, Olivia Lundman (qualified to be nominated for quota spot per selection criteria) |
| 4x100m | Women | 1 | |
| 4x100m | Men | 1 | |
| 4x400m | Women | 1 |
How can your favourite Canadian athlete qualify for Paris 2024? Check out the Olympic Entry Standards here.
Two Road Race Label Races in Vancouver
Vancouver Marathon weekend is an annual road racing tradition on the west coast and both the marathon and half marathon events are part of the Athletics Canada Road Race Label series.
Sergio Raez Villanueva broke the tape in the men’s marathon in a time of 2:22:45, with second-place finisher Chris Balestrini (2:23:53) and third-place finisher Matthew Neumann (2:24:45) within two seconds of him.
Argentina Valdepeñas won the women’s marathon with a time of 2:39:38. Kate Landau was in next with her time of 2:40:34. Third-place finisher Emily Andrews was the top Canadian, clocking in at 2:45:01.
Samantha Joy took the women’s half marathon crown with her time of 1:14:23. Natalia Allen finished 2nd (1:16:17) and Alyssa Barrette was 3rd (1:17:10).
Dylan Alick was the winner on the men’s side of the half marathon. His time of 1:06:00 bested David Mutai (1:06:49) and Daniel Zewdu (1:07:02).
