Updated August 9, 2024 @ 4:11pm
Canada's men's 4x100-metre relay team has claimed Olympic gold.
With Andre De Grasse running the anchor leg, the Canadians posted a winning time of 37.5 seconds in Friday's final.
South Africa was second in 37.57 seconds and Britain third in 37.61.
The United States, which botched its first handoff, was disqualified.
The Canadian team, which also included Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake and Brendon Rodney, improved on the silver medal they won in Tokyo.
“It feels pretty amazing. To be out with these guys, my brothers, I’ve been with them since the beginning of time, so it’s amazing," said De Grasse.
"We talked about this moment for years. It feels good to bring it to fruition. I’m super grateful.”
The 29-year-old sprinter is now tied with swimmer Penny Oleksiak as Canada's most decorated Olympian with seven career medals (two gold, two silver, three bronze).
Not one member of Canada's gold-medal relay team managed to qualify for an individual final in the 100 or 200 earlier this week. De Grasse had never missed a final — or a podium — in his six previous Olympic events in Rio and Tokyo.
“Individuals didn’t go our way but when we come together we’re a real strong team. You can never count us out, we feel great," said Brown.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2024.
