Andre De Grasse to anchor Canada in men’s relay heats “no matter what”
The Canadian men's relay team missed the 4x100m final last year in Budapest after De Grasse sat out the heats to rest for the 200m
Nick Iwanyshyn
One of the biggest storylines from last year’s World Championships in Budapest was the unexpected disappointment of the Canadian men’s 4x100m relay team, which failed to reach the final after winning gold in Eugene the previous year. The decision by Team Canada coach Glenroy Gilbert to rest Andre De Grasse for the 200m final (which was scheduled two hours after the relay heats), backfired as Canada finished a disappointing fifth in the relay.
On Tuesday, at the Stade de France, Gilbert told Canadian Running that he plans to avoid making the same mistake at the Paris Olympics. “This is a decision we’ve been considering since the Olympic schedule came out last year,” Gilbert stated. “The plan is for Andre to run, no matter what.”
If De Grasse qualifies out of the semis, the men’s 200m final will take place on Thursday, Aug. 8, at 8:30 p.m. local time, while the men’s 4x100m relay heats are scheduled just nine hours earlier, in the morning session.
De Grasse has been pivotal to the Canadian men’s 4x100m relay team at the last two Olympic Games, anchoring them to bronze in Rio 2016 and silver in Tokyo 2020. Gilbert emphasized the importance of De Grasse: “He’s our best sprinter, and we need him to be in the rotation.”
The 29-year-old sprinter has not had the start he wanted at the 2024 Games, with failing to reach the men’s 100m final and the expulsion of his sprint coach due to sexual abuse allegations.
While the final decision on the rest of the relay team for the heats has not been made, Gilbert assured us that the team is ready for all circumstances.
The men’s and women’s 4x100m relay heats are scheduled for the athletics morning session on Aug. 8 at 11 a.m. local time (5 a.m. ET).
Athletics events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are taking place from Aug. 1-11. Today’s coverage is brought to you by Canadian Running and PUMA Canada. Follow us on Twitter on Instagram for all things Team Canada and up-to-date exclusive news and content.
