With a target at their back, the Canadian men’s 4×100 meter relay team has their sights set on one goal: to repeat their successes.
Canada won gold at the 2022 World Championships in Athletics in Eugene, Oregon with a record time of 37.48 seconds. The team of Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney and Jerome Blake also tied with Japan for the best time of the year, 37.80 seconds, set in Florida on April 1.
On the eve of the start of the 2023 World Championships on August 27 in Budapest, Hungary, Blake says the group knows what they will have to do to repeat their exploits.
“Everyone is watching us,” he insisted. So for us, just go out there and do what we know how to do…good races and have really good stints. We know that if we do that, we can compete at the highest level. That’s kind of where we are mentally right now. »
De Grasse shared a similar sentiment, while acknowledging what lies ahead.
The Canadians received their silver medals from the Tokyo Olympics during a re-awarding ceremony at the Canadian Championships in Langley, British Columbia, in July.
The upgrade from bronze to silver came after a British athlete tested positive for a doping test, costing his team the silver medal.
“We were very excited to finally get our silver medal in Langley,” said DeGrasse. We kind of talked about that moment, trying to repeat the feat in Budapest. And of course, to improve our Tokyo medal.
“We got a bronze medal in Rio [2016], we got a silver medal in Tokyo [2021], so we can finish the collection with a gold medal in Paris [in 2024] — that would be amazing . So I think that’s something that we’re all striving to achieve. »
The chemistry of the men’s relay team, built over time, contributed significantly to their accomplishments.
De Grasse, Brown and Rodney have been together since 2015, when they won bronze with Justyn Warner at the World Championships that year in Beijing, China. Blake joined them in 2019.
“I think we’re pretty close,” Blake said. We talk to each other… especially when we are at training camps and together. We play dominoes together and do activities pretty much all day, every day when we’re at training camps.
“Otherwise, Aaron and I train together, so I see him almost every day. Andre lives in Florida, so we also see him from time to time. And Brendon [stays] in Jamaica, so we don’t see him as much in person, but we have a group chat with some small talk…it’s fun. »
This closeness is evident even when they are competing against each other.
“We support each other as much as possible,” Blake expressed. Even before we ran the 200m final [at the Canadian Championships], we were wishing each other good luck at the start line.
“For us, it’s like we have a very good friendship… But at the same time, to see your compatriot running very fast, it really helps you a lot knowing that you can count on this person to do their job. when the time comes to participate in the relay. »
De Grasse believes his teammates have made significant progress ahead of the World Championships.
“I can see it from the outside looking at how much my teammates have improved and how they strive so hard to be better and better in their individual events,” De Grasse noted. Especially after the Canadian Championships, seeing Brendon Rodney break a personal best (10.00 seconds in the 100 meters). I think everyone is doing a very good job of trying to repeat those successes. »