Brendon Rodney makes the case for his team being Canada's 4x100m relay GOAT
Social Sharing
Brendon Rodney believes that his men's 4x100-metre relay team is the best in Canadian history.
At this year's world championships, Rodney and his teammates Aaron Brown, Andre De Grasse and Jerome Blake have a chance to make that claim undeniable.
Rodney joined CBC Sports Trackside co-hosts Perdita Felicien and Brown to talk about what makes the current relay team successful, and how they match up with the Donovan Bailey-led squad of the 90s.
Mentioning that De Grasse previously said he wanted his team to be known as the best Canadian relay team ever, Felicien asked Rodney how he thinks his team stacks up now.
"We're definitely the best, I mean, in the fact that we have the national record. It's just the truth," Rodney said. "I don't think Donovan [Bailey] will admit it yet, but we are definitely the better team, [and] if we lined up by them side-by-side we would beat them."
WATCH | Brendon Rodney on CBC Sports Trackside:
'We're definitely the best': Brendon Rodney says 4x100m squad is greatest Canadian team
38 minutes ago
Duration 2:42
"No one show that to DB, no one show that to Donovan Bailey...[Brendon] watch your back," Felicien joked.
"I think Donovan might come out of retirement after what Brendon just said. He might get the boys back together," Brown said later, laughing.
WATCH | Brown, Rodney explain what makes their Olympic relay team successful:
Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney explain what makes their Olympic relay team successful
4 hours ago
Duration 2:36
The 90s-era team of Bailey, Glenroy Gilbert, who is currently Athletics Canada head coach, Bruny Surin and Robert Esmie won two world titles, and Olympic gold in 1996 with a then-national record time of 37.69 seconds.
Rodney, Brown, De Grasse, and Blake took Olympic gold in Paris last summer, and have one world title to their credit. That was won in Eugene, Ore., in 2022 where they set the current national record time of 37.48 seconds.
"I want to say we're the better team, but of course the medals are what count in our sport, and we got to get the medals in order to solidify that," Rodney said.
They will get their chance after qualifying for the 2025 World Athletics Championships thanks to their results last weekend at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China. The team finished second in their heat on Saturday to qualify for the world championships in Tokyo before taking bronze in Sunday's final.
WATCH | Canadian men's 4x100m relay team claims spot at world championships:
Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney explain what makes their Olympic relay team successful
4 hours ago
Duration 2:36
The 2024 Olympic 4x100m relay champions discuss how their teammates personalities come together to create magic on the track.
Rodney and Brown broke down that final on Trackside, including a moment that threatened to derail their trip to the podium – a wobbly baton transfer between Brown and Blake.
"We'll get back to the drawing board and practise more work and getting [the baton] in and having a steady target," Brown said. "This is something that we've got to fix because I don't want this to be what holds us back from getting another gold in Tokyo [at the world championships]. I definitely want to chase those guys in the 90s who have three golds, you know, two world championship golds and an Olympic gold.
"We have two golds right now. So if you want to be considered the best, you know, we've got to add those."
WATCH | Canadians run to bronze-medal result in Guangzhou:
Canadian men's 4x100m team qualify for the world athletics relays final
5 days ago
Duration 4:11
Canada's Olympic champion men's 4x100m team, featuring Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake, Brendon Rodney and Andre DeGrasse finish second in their heat to move to the finals at the 2025 World Athletic Relays in Guangzhou, China.
Asked what is left for this team to accomplish, Brown said it's all about seeing how far they can go and how many wins they can achieve together.
"We've already got the top prize, which was the Olympic gold. We went from bronze in Rio [2016], silver in Tokyo [2020], and then gold," he said. "It doesn't get much better than that. But, now it's just like, all right, we did it. How much more can we get as a team?"
To watch the full debut episode of Trackside by clicking on the video player below.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
28 minutes ago
- CTV News
Ageless Marchand plays hero for Panthers in Game 2 of SCF: ‘He's a beauty'
Florida Panthers winger Brad Marchand (63) celebrates his game-winning goal against the Oilers with Jesper Boqvist (70) during the second overtime period in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final in Edmonton on Friday, June 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson Brad Marchand slipped a puck under Stuart Skinner's pad on his own rebound. That effort off the stick of the Florida Panthers winger dribbled through Edmonton's crease and touched the post before being cleared to safety. That agonizingly close call in Friday's first overtime period came after Marchand connected on a short-handed breakaway in the second period. The 37-year-old didn't miss on his next chance. Marchand scored on another breakaway — this time in double OT — as the Panthers beat the Oilers 5-4 to even the Stanley Cup final 1-1. 'Pure excitement and adrenalin for the whole group,' he said in describing the moment before getting mobbed by teammates inside a stunned Rogers Place. 'We all knew we were one shot away … luckily it went our way.' Florida, which beat Edmonton in seven games in last year's final for the franchise's first title, recovered after Corey Perry tied the game with 17.8 seconds left in regulation. 'We've always had a very calm team,' Marchand said. 'You draw from your experiences. We do a really good job of focusing on the moment.' His ninth and 10th goals all-time in Cup final play gave him the lead among active players. Marchand's performance came exactly 14 years after he scored short-handed in the 2011 final against the Vancouver Canucks. Roberto Luongo — the opposing netminder at the time and now special adviser for the Panthers — posted to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter: 'Favourite player of all time.' 'Lu is awesome,' said the Halifax product. 'He's an incredible person. Happy to be on the team.' Marchand was acquired from the Bruins, who were eliminated by the Panthers from the 2023 and 2024 playoffs, at the trade deadline buzzer back in March. The fit has been seamless for a player that has made plenty of enemies throughout his career. 'Brad's an honest man,' said Florida head coach Paul Maurice, whose group dropped the series opener to Edmonton 4-3 in OT. 'He loves the game. He loves the people around him. He's very open, very gregarious. He (was) completely accepted. An incredibly positive human being. He's up and down our bench all the time just pumping tires, stays in the fight. He is going to be the same way at breakfast (Saturday) morning. He's just going to be jacked, high-fiving everybody at the table.' 'He enjoys the moment,' Panthers winger Evan Rodrigues added. 'He doesn't shy away from it.' Marchand's parents were in the stands Wednesday, with his mother was caught on camera celebrating her son's heroics. He was asked post-game to describe Lynn Marchand as a hockey mom. 'She is one that you need to put a muzzle on,' he said to laughter from reporters. 'She gets pretty amped up at the games. They've always been so supportive. I don't think any player in this league could say that their parents are not the main reason why we're here.' Marchand, who won the Cup in 2011 and also played in the 2013 and 2019 finals, has shown no signs of slowing down at age 37 in his 16th NHL season. 'He could play till he's 47 the way he's going,' Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk said. 'Unreal player, unreal competitor.' Marchand's fifth career playoff OT goal tied Perry, Patrick Kane and Panthers teammate Carter Verhaeghe for the most among active players. The veteran forward also became the seventh player in NHL history to reach that number. 'He just finds a way,' said Florida defenceman Nate Schmidt, who had a couple of run-ins with Marchand earlier this season when he was still captaining Boston. 'I don't think it gets too big for him. He was one of our most vocal guys throughout the third and the intermissions. It doesn't seem like he ever gets too riled about it, which is something you need. 'He is a veteran presence guy that's got a ring. We're really lucky to have him.' Maurice called Marchand 'a unique human' that has found a new home as the best-of-seven series now shifts to South Florida. 'In the northern parlance,' said the coach, 'he's a beauty.' -- Joshua Clipperton This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.
CTV News
44 minutes ago
- CTV News
Calgary Stampeders hitch quarterback wagon to 'Big-play VA' Vernon Adams Jr.
Calgary Stampeders quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., right, hands the ball off to Jeshrun Antwi during first half CFL preseason football action against the Edmonton Elks in Calgary, Saturday, May 24, 2025. The Stampeders look to Adams to help turn the team around in 2025 after missing the playoffs last season. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh The road back to the CFL playoffs goes through Vernon Adams Jr. in Calgary. The Stampeders acquired the quarterback from the B.C. Lions a month after their worst season in two decades concluded in 2024. Calgary finished last in the CFL with a 5-12-1 record. The Lions choosing Nathan Rourke their No. 1 pivot, and Calgary looking for an upgrade after two and a half seasons of Jake Maier brought the 32-year-old Adams to a team looking for a turnaround in 2025 after missing the post-season for the first time in 19 years. 'He's Vernon Adams, he's Big-Play VA, so he's going to bring Calgary back to where it used to be,' predicted receiver Dominique Rhymes. 'He's used to being a winner, so he is going to be bringing that winning culture, and I think it's going happen immediately.' Adams denies B.C.'s preference for Rourke injects extra motivation into him as a Stampeder. 'No, not at all. I'm blessed, I'm grateful,' the Californian declared. 'I'm happy a team wants me and I'm here. It's the start of a new journey and it's great.' The five-foot-11, 195-pound pivot led the CFL in passing yards in 2023 (4,769) and ranked second in touchdowns (31). He was in the conversation for Most Outstanding Player in 2024 with B.C. before he was sidelined with injury in August. CFL quarterbacks often get disproportionate credit for wins and blame for losses in a team game, but there's no denying the position's importance in a three-down league. 'One twelfth, but quarterback play is vital,' said Stampeders coach and general manager Dave Dickenson, a former CFL quarterback himself. 'I don't need fancy plays. Make plays, sure, but do what is required to win. He's done that in his career. He is definitely a guy that is a winner and finds ways to win ball games even sometimes when he maybe he's not having his best stuff. 'I really believe halfway through the year, he was odds-on favourite to win the MOP last year and injuries kind of derailed it. Careers are weird that way. They definitely take you from one city to the other. I think he's happy to be here and we just got to provide him the support so he can be Vernon.' New Stampeder quarterbacks coach Dakota Prukop has had a close view of Adams' career since Prukop played for Montana State and Adams for Eastern Washington in the Big Sky Conference. Both men eventually transferred to Oregon, with Prukop a Duck a year after Adams. The two men continued to circle each other in the CFL before crossing paths at Lions training camp last year. 'Vernon's a veteran in the CFL, but this is his first year in this playbook,' Prukop said. 'His ability to pick up this playbook in the way he has and have the details in this play book has been something really impressive. That has not surprised me. I saw his professional habits when we were together in B.C. 'I don't want to say he's a gamer in the sense that he does not do well outside of a game, but he has an extra gear on game day. When you couple that with his professionalism and being a true pro, and then he has that extra gear in game day, if the pressure is on, if the score is tight, he's the guy you want in your huddle.' Since throwing his first CFL pass for the Montreal Alouettes in 2016, Adams has amassed 16,190 career passing yards with a 64-per-cent completion rate. He's thrown 86 touchdown passes, as well as 54 interceptions, while rushing for 24 touchdowns. 'My thing was I threw too many interceptions,' Adams said. 'Just want to make sure I'm protecting the ball and getting my playmakers the ball. Let them do the rest.' -- Donna Spencer This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2025.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
'Both teams are at the top of their game': Hockey analyst after Panthers even series in Game 2
Watch The Hockey News analyst Tony Ferrari discusses the performance of Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.
