Saturday’s first qualifying round races at the 2024 World Athletic Relays in the Bahamas were full of excitement, as Canada saw three teams rise to the occasion on the world stage and earn spots in this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
All of the members of Team 🇨🇦 in Nassau, Bahamas for the 2024 World Athletics Relays @wabahamas24 💨
Tous les membres de l’équipe 🇨🇦 à Nassau, Bahamas pour les relais mondiaux d’athlétisme 2024 @WABahamas24 💨 pic.twitter.com/TcBw36DdZC
— Athletics Canada (@AthleticsCanada) May 4, 2024
Stakes were high on day one in Nassau, as teams had a preliminary shot at directly earning their Olympic spot. Canada had sent five relay teams across the five race disciplines, and after Saturday’s races, three teams had succeeded on their Paris-bound mission. The men’s and women’s 4×100 relays and the women’s 4×400 relay each placed within the first two of their respective heats, which means an automatic qualification for Paris.
Coming in fifth with a time of 3:05.04, Canada’s men’s 4×400 did not qualify automatically; they still have a shot, with finals taking place Sunday evening.
The Canadian mixed 4×400 team also came fifth in their heat.
How the Olympic qualifications have played out so far
In the women’s 4×400, the Canadian quartet of Zoe Sherar, Aiyanna Stiverne, Kyra Constatine and Alyssa Marsh placed second in their heat to both advance to the finals on Sunday evening and earn their ticket to Paris.
Canada’s women’s 4×400 has historically faired well on the world stage, with recent results of fourth at the 2023 World Championships and fourth at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Sunday evening’s race will give the women the opportunity to earn a medal and prize money.
Team Canada’s Women’s 4×400 Relay team is officially Paris 2024 bound! 🇨🇦✈️
The quartet of Sherar, Constantine, Stiverne and Marsh brought home the baton in 3:27.17 SB 👏
📸: Kenny Zhong pic.twitter.com/tSkSCo4u6F
— Athletics Canada (@AthleticsCanada) May 5, 2024
The men’s 4×100 team of Aaron Brown, Andre De Grasse, Brendon Rodney and Jerome Blake won their heat in a time of 38.11. The star-studded team has a chance to win the finals Sunday night, in a race that will surely feature a showdown with Team USA, who ran yesterday’s fastest race in 37.49.
WHAT A PERFORMANCE 😤
After qualifying for a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the 4×100 Men’s Relay team will have a chance to win in tomorrow’s final 👀
Watch all the action live on CBC Gem 💎
📸: Kenny Zhong & @worldathletics pic.twitter.com/wShrQO295n
— Athletics Canada (@AthleticsCanada) May 5, 2024
The woman’s 4×100 team of Sade McCreath, Marie-Éloïse Leclair, Audrey Leduc and Crystal Emmanuel edged out China for second in their heat behind Poland.
“I think my heart stopped for a minute and then I just realized, oh my God, we did it. We came together and made it happen,” said McCreath in a post-race interview.
What’s to come
Both the 4×400 mixed and men’s relays have a chance to qualify for Paris this evening. The men’s race gives Canada one final chance to qualify for the Olympics in that event for the first time in 32 years, and after Saturday’s first round heats, the team was eager to find redemption.
“Our 4×400 will be in Paris. I promise you,” Myles Misener-Daly told the CBC in a post-race interview.
Full results and information to watch tonight’s races can be found here.
