Latest news with #BrendonRodney
CBC
15-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
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.
CBC
11-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Canadian 4x100-metre men finish 3rd at World Athletics Relay final
Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake, Brendon Rodney and Andre De Grasse raced to a bronze medal time of 38.11 Sunday at the World Athletics Relay Championships in Guangzhou, China.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'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 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
