De Grasse, reigning men’s relay champions headline Canadian team for worlds
Canada’s reigning world champion 4×100-metre relay team is back to defend its title.
Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney and Jerome Blake were among the 50 athletes named by Athletics Canada to represent the country at the 2023 world championships, which begin Aug. 19 in Budapest.
Live coverage of the entire event will be available on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.
Brown said the 4×100 team is still “fine-tuning” things ahead of the competition.
“We’re pushing each other to get better, so we know where we’re weak and where we’re strong. We’re just going to work on our flaws and get ready for Budapest,” he said.
WATCH | Athletics North breaks down De Grasse’s performance at nationals:
It was no surprise that defending champions & gold medal favourites like Alysha Newman, Camryn Rogers and Sarah Mitton came out on top at the 2023 Canadian Track and Field Championships. But Andre De Grasse NOT hitting the 100m world standard or racing in the 100m final was a turn of events no one expected.
De Grasse, the six-time Olympic medallist, failed to meet the qualifying standard in the 100, but took top spot in the 200 at the recent national championships in Langley, B.C.
Canada won four medals at the 2022 worlds. In addition to the 4×100 team, decathlete Pierce LePage and hammer thrower Camryn Rogers will look to back up their silver medals, while Marco Arop hopes to upgrade on his 800 bronze.
Olympic decathlon champion Damian Warner, who was injured at worlds last year, is also back.
Other Olympic medallists named to the team include race walker Evan Dunfee and middle-distance runner Moh Ahmed. Commonwealth Games shot put champion Sarah Mitton will aim to improve on her fourth-place finish in 2022.
“There is a lot of strength throughout the entire group that’s been selected,” said head coach Glenroy Gilbert. “If you look at the individuals that make up the team, there are obviously some heavy hitters. We’re a very diverse group and we’re expecting people to go out there and perform on demand.”
See a full list of Canadian athletes headed to Budapest here.
