Canadian women’s 4x100m relay team sets national record at Paris Olympics
The Canadian quartet of Sade McCreath, Audrey Leduc, Jacqueline Madogo and Marie-Éloïse Leclair has shattered a national record that stood for nine years
Nick Iwanyshyn
All eyes were on the Canadian men’s 4x100m relay team on Thursday morning during the first round of 4x100m relay qualifying, but the Canadian women’s relay team stole the show. The quartet of Sade McCreath, Audrey Leduc, Jacqueline Madogo and Marie-Éloïse Leclair set a new Canadian national record of 42.50 seconds in the qualifying round, securing their spot in Friday’s women’s 4x100m final.
“It’s been something we’ve been chasing all season,” Leclair told Canadian Running. “We knew from the first time we stepped on the track together that we had the potential to break the national record.” The team shaved a tenth of a second off the previous record of 42.60 seconds, set at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing. The previous record-holding team went on to place sixth in the 2015 World Championship final, marking the highest finish by a Canadian women’s relay team at a major championship in the last decade.
Audrey Leduc sprints to 100m national record in Olympic debut
Leclair, who ran the second leg for the Canadian team in Paris, described it as magical to see everything come together on the biggest stage. “When we went to the London Diamond League, we were on pace to break it, but the race didn’t go the way we wanted,” she said. “We kept telling ourselves not to dwell on our mistakes.”
MOVING ON 🇨🇦💫
The Canadian women’s 4x100m relay team sets a national record of 42.50 to qualify for the final.
“This is something we’ve been chasing all season.”#teamcanada #athletics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/EGex3UUOpx
— Canadian Running (@CanadianRunning) August 8, 2024
Just 20 minutes after the Canadian women set a national record, the men’s team—comprised of Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney and Jerome Blake—punched their ticket to the men’s 4x100m Olympic relay final with a third-place finish in their heat.
“I think we’ve watched the men dominate in the 4x100m relay for so long,” said McCreath. “We wanted to show we are just as strong on the women’s side.”
Fresh off the best performance in Canadian history, relay captain Leduc noted that their execution wasn’t perfect and that the team would review the race footage to see where they could improve for Friday’s final. “The goal is always to get on the podium,” said Leclair. “If we can execute a better race, and maybe even set another national record—anything can happen.”
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.
