Canada’s most decorated track and field Olympian, Andre De Grasse, is officially heading to his third Olympic Games. On Friday night in Montreal, De Grasse won the men’s 100m in 10.20 seconds (-0.3 m/s) to punch his ticket to Paris 2024. This is his first national title in the 100m event in seven years.
There was a bit of confusion at the finish of the men’s 100m, as Ottawa’s Eliezer Adjibi was first awarded the national title. After a photo finish review, Adjibi handed over the flag to De Grasse, who beat him by only three one-hundredths of a second. The defending national champion, Aaron Brown, rounded out the podium in 10.25 seconds.
Although De Grasse didn’t get out of the blocks as fast as he wanted to, he said his performance was a huge confidence booster. “It’s been two or three years since I’ve been running this fast,” says De Grasse. “I am trying to use the momentum and take myself through these races.”
Likely joining De Grasse in the 100m event in Paris is Brendon Rodney, who finished fifth in the 100m final in 10.31, and Brown. Rodney hit the Olympic standard of 10.00 last year in the 100m heats at the 2023 Canadian Championships. Brown sits well inside the World Athletics selection quota, and his third-place result will solidify his position on points come July 7.
Canadian sprinting is at an all-time high with the top six men finishing nearly within a tenth of a second of one another. De Grasse believes the men’s 4x100m relay team has a real shot at Olympic gold, something that has not been accomplished since Atlanta 1996. “If we can get the stick around, we know we can challenge the U.S., Italy and Jamaica,” says De Grasse.
“I wanted to say, I’m back. It’s been two-three years since I’ve run this fast.”
Andre De Grasse missed the 100m final at 🇨🇦 nationals last year. Tonight, he won his first national title in the distance since 2017. 👏#ACTrials24 pic.twitter.com/UsTIEfm5Kr
— Canadian Running (@CanadianRunning) June 29, 2024
Leduc’s dream season continues
In the women’s 100m final, Audrey Leduc of Gatineau, Que., punched her ticket to her first Olympic Games with a win in 11.20 seconds (-0.1 m/s). It has been a whirlwind season for Leduc, who just three months ago had no Canadian records to her name and was just competing for Université Laval in U SPORTS.
Since April, Leduc has achieved Olympic standards and Canadian records in both the 100m and 200m, plus helped the Canadian women’s 4x100m relay team get to the Olympics for the first time since Rio 2016.
Ottawa’s Jacqueline Madogo finished second to Leduc in 11.36 seconds, and Marie-Éloïse Leclair of Montreal rounded out the podium in front of a home crowd for third in 11.44, just shy of her personal best.
For full results from Speed Night at Day 3 of the Bell Canadian Track and Field Olympic Trials, check here.
