'It all starts here': Olympic champion 4x100m relay team begins journey to world championships
From left to right, Canada's Andre De Grasse, Brendon Rodney, Aaron Brown and Jerome Blake celebrate after winning the men's 4x100m relay world title at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., in July of 2022. The same men will look to book a spot at the 2025 world championships when they compete at the World Athletics Relays this weekend. (File/AFP via Getty Images - image credit)
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 4x100-metre 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."
Watch all the action from World Athletics Relays beginning on Saturday at 7 a.m. ET on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem. Click here for the full broadcast schedule.
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."
WATCH | De Grasse on expectations for the relay team:
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.
WATCH | The Canadian men's 4x100m relay team wins gold in Paris:
So, too, will the World Relays silver medallists in the men's 4x100 – De Grasse, Brown, Rodney, and Blake. Guangzhou will be the second meet of the season for the team after they won the Florida Relays in early April.
De Grasse, Brown and Rodney have teamed together since 2016, with Blake joining the mix in time to help capture Olympic silver in Tokyo in 2021. A year later, they combined to win the world title in Eugene, Ore., before striking gold at Paris 2024.
Kyra Constantine, left, and Zoe Sherar, are shown in this June 2024 file photo. The two were part of the bronze-medal winning women's 4x400m relay team at World Athletics Relays in the Bahamas in 2024. Both women are on the roster for Canada at this weekend's edition in Guangzhou, China. (File/The Canadian Press)
Canada's 'secret weapon'
Gilbert knows what it takes to have sustained success in the relay. The 56-year-old was part of Canada's Olympic gold-medal winning 4x100 team in 1996, as well as two world title wins. He believes the current Canadian team has developed a chemistry and familiarity that's "massive" to relay success.
"The more you run together, the more flawless you become, especially if everybody's engaged and everybody feels an accountability for their role in their part of that relay," Gilbert said.
"We had the same situation 30 years ago with my team, but the same thing with these guys is being able to focus and stay with what they need to do, recognizing that they all have to be ready and they take that part of it very serious. The relay means a lot to them."
De Grasse agrees, but he credits part of his team's success to Gilbert, who De Grasse calls their "secret weapon."
"To have a guy like Glenroy in our corner, it's really special," De Grasse said. "You know, you don't get that opportunity a lot, to be able to have someone that's done it before and knows what it takes and give us that mentorship and that leadership that he provides."
From left to right, Andre De Grasse, Brendon Rodney, Jerome Blake, and Aaron Brown, are shown celebrating after winning gold at the Paris Olympics last August. ()
Becoming Olympic champions might lead some teams to rest on their laurels, and take their foot off the gas pedal, but Gilbert says De Grasse and his teammates have turned the page on 2024.
"It's a new race. It's a new day. It's an opportunity for them to go up against the rest of the world," Gilbert said. "The focus is to qualify the spot. Fine tune, and sharpen the sword's edge for the world championships – because that's what really matters."
De Grasse agrees – and believes that he and his teammates' experience can be a positive without living in the past.
"We have a world championship under our belt already. So we kind of know what it takes to be at our best. And if all four guys are running well individually, when we put that team together, it's going to be unstoppable."
Important rookie reps
While qualification for worlds is the main mission for Team Canada in Guangzhou, there is another goal that won't be found on a giant placard that says 'QUALIFIED,' or on any results page. At least, not anytime soon.
The World Athletics Relays represent important reps on the world stage for Canada's next generation of sprinters.
"I explained this to the younger guys – it is one thing to be fast, and that's the prerequisite of having a good relay. You need to be fast, but the other part of it is being able to compete on the world stage, which takes time and experience," Gilbert said.
"It's not just a foregone conclusion that you get in there and all of a sudden you're hitting it out of the park like the other guys. It takes time and that's what the camps and the exposure to a meet like this is all about."
Canada's Malachi Murray is shiwn in this 2022 file photo from the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Murray is part of a new crop of sprinting talent that will compe at the World Athletics Relays this weekend in China. (File/Getty Images)
The Canadian roster is an intentional mix of returning veterans and fresh faces, part of the plan to help develop the next crop of sprinters, like Duan Asemota, Eliezer Adjibi, and Malachi Murray.
"The three of these guys have been pretty solid, kind of been a staple … coming up behind where the [current 4x100m] guys are now," Gilbert said. "I think [they're] the big three that you'd probably have to look out for."
The development of the next generation of relay sprinters is also a big deal for De Grasse, too.
"I know a lot of the younger guys are coming up and they want a chance to prove themselves and get on the team as well. So I look forward to welcoming the new guys that are coming to [the] relays, [and] getting to know them," he said.
"[It's] a chance for them to have their opportunity, and [I'm] just trying to coach them and mentor them so that when the four of us are done, or maybe they can take one of our spots, that they're ready for the challenge."
Full Canadian roster at World Athletics Relays
Athlete
Event(s)
Hometown
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.
Jacqueline 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
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By the next day, that story's not going to matter, but it made much more interested in the bigger stories around this team and the stories that have a little likes to them. And it reaffirmed for me, I guess, that those stories do matter, because when you have a moment like Joe Carter, that lasts forever. When you have a career like Dave Steve did, that lasts forever. Like Roy Halladay, like José Bautista with that one home run. I'll be 70 years old talking about the bat flip. It reminded me that those can come around anytime, even though it's been a rough decade for the Blue Jays, if just one of those moments come around, you forget about everything else. Advertisement Josh Valdez: And what do the Jays have to do, in your opinion, to finally get back to the mountaintop? Keegan Matheson: They need to develop some sort of identity. I keep going back to that 2021 team, which was one of the best lineups we will ever see in Toronto, period. They had Semien having an all-time season. Vladdy was playing MVP-caliber baseball. There's not always going to be Shohei Otani to win it in front of him. He was playing like an MVP, and you had a lineup that was threatening from top to bottom, because it had power. And the Blue Jays have gotten away from that. Right now, they're a team that is stuck in a lot of 2-1, 3-2 games. And when you're playing that type of baseball, you need to be perfect. because one mistake can send it sideways. When you're playing a game like they played in 2021, and I'd argue even like '15 or '16, you can make five mistakes. You can completely screw up, but if someone hits a three-run home run, guess what I'm writing about, the three run home run and a win. So I think they need to get back to more of an identity, and identity is usually based on offense, which hasn't been there lately. So you can not only get out to lead, but chase teams down if they get a lead on you, and I don't see that lately. 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Advertisement Josh Valdez: Lastly, who's a Blue Jays player, either that's in the book or not, that you feel like is underappreciated in the fan base? Keegan Matheson: Oh, great question. I think of a couple of answers here, but I don't think that Dave Steve gets enough attention or respect from newer Blue Jays fans. And Blue Jays fans who were around in the 70s, 80s, 90s, they will talk your ear off about Dave Steve because they watched him pitch. But I think that anyone around my age, even 40 and under, I don't hear enough about Dave Steve. There's a couple of reasons for that, and one is that Dave Steve has not kept himself present or public-facing, and I write about that in the chapter. That's okay, that's his choice. If I had to deal with reporters for 20 years, I would probably ride off into the sunset and hide in a log cabin myself. Totally his choice, and that's okay. But a lot of former players who we see them more on TV or doing radio appearances, they kind of stay in the public consciousness. But with Steve, talking to his catchers and other players, like I talked to Buck Martinez, talked to Ernie Witt about him, Pat Borders about him, the three men who caught him the most. And Buck Martinez, the first thing out of his mouth, he said "Best right-handed pitcher the Blue Jays ever had." And it's the team that had Roy Halliday for a decade. People talked about Dave Steve in ways that surprised me and ways that were really fascinating to hear. Now, yes, he would blame his infielers for every error, and he had evil eyes. He would stare two laser beams through your chest if he screwed up behind him, absolutely. But I think he was not just a dominant pitcher, but a fascinating character as well. Advertisement A lot of this book was around reading old archival newspaper coverage or archival magazines, Sports Illustrated, other weeklies and monthlies. And it was a big lesson for me that players were a lot more open back in the day. And I understand why, but some interviews and conversation with Steve I would read just really opened my eyes to a guy who was kind of battling with the spotlight, and he knew that spotlight was there because he was great. But greatness and the attention that comes with it is not always comfortable for people. I see someone on the other side of this, like Joe Carter, who is at events, and he has embraced it. He'll talk to every single person like it's the first time he's ever talked about that home run. Not everyone's that way. So hearing old teammates talk about Dave Steve, even old hitters who faced him, I think, made me appreciate just how great he was. He did deserve, and he still deserves a much larger conversation about the Hall of Fame. Whether he's worthy or not is still very much up for debate, but even if he's just closer than he's been, that's still something that deserves to be talked about, because he fell off that ballot, and I don't think that we have the proper conversation about him. Because Steve was a more modern pitcher than the 80s would suggest. Like, he's a guy who you could drop in today, and he'd have success. You know, Buck Martinez said he was throwing a sweeper before it was a sweeper. Like he had that incredible, incredible slider, and he represents the generational divide among Blue Jays fans for me, because fans who were around to watch him pitch will go on and on about Dave Steve, and they really should. But younger fans, I think they're just not exposed to as many Dave Steve highlights. They don't see him on TV, they don't hear as much about him. And that's something I hope can be a little more alive in the minds of the Blue Jays fans, because it's really too bad Steve pitched in the era that, you know, you didn't have three teams getting a free pass into the playoffs with the Wild Card. I wish there were more opportunities for him and those great 80s teams, that would have changed everything. But still, someone who I think deserves, even a guy who's considered one of the greatest Blue Jays of all time, I still think he deserves a much larger place in the Jays' history conversation. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
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Jose Berrios Had 4 Words After Blue Jays' Win Over Cardinals
Jose Berrios Had 4 Words After Blue Jays' Win Over Cardinals originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Toronto Blue Jays fans finally have plenty to be excited about. After meandering around .500 for most of the season, the club is now 36-30 after their 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, tied for second place in the AL East with the Tampa Bay Rays. Advertisement Starting pitcher Jose Berrios tossed a four-hit shutout in 6.2 innings vs. St. Louis before the bullpen blew the lead in the eighth. However, center fielder Jonatan Clase hit a 415-foot solo homer to center to tie the game at 4-4 in the ninth, and catcher Alejandro Kirk hit a go-ahead RBI double in the 10th. Closer Jeff Hoffman then secured his 16th save of the season. Berrios sounded off about the win postgame, via Keegan Matheson. Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Berrios (17)© Jeff Curry-Imagn Images "That's a playoff game," the 31-year-old said. He also mentioned that the win reveals the makeup of the clubhouse. Berrios is now 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA in 14 starts this season. The Minnesota Twins selected Berrios No. 32 overall in the 2012 MLB Draft. They promoted the right-hander to the big leagues in April 2016, and he made the All-Star team in 2018 and 2019. He pitched 12 total playoff innings with Minnesota, totaling five earned runs and 14 strikeouts. Advertisement The Twins then traded Berrios to the Blue Jays in July 2021, and he won the Gold Glove award in 2023. The 6-foot, 205-pounder made one playoff start for Toronto that season, totaling one earned run on three hits in three innings. The Blue Jays are now 8-2 in their last 10 games. Related: Phillies' Rob Thomson Announces J.T. Realmuto News After Blue Jays Game Related: Blue Jays Reporter Opens Up About Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Shohei Ohtani in New Book This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
