Canada’s mixed team of 100-metre sprinters will not join its men’s and women’s counterparts at the World Athletics Championships in September but was the lone foursome to claim victory on the final day at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China.
Sade McCreath, Marie-Eloise Leclair, Duan Asemota and Eliezer Adjibi prevailed in a season-best 40.30 seconds over Jamaica on Sunday at Guangdong Olympic Stadium. However, they won’t be competing at the Sept. 13-21 athletics worlds in Tokyo as the event will not be contested there.
After going 40.90 in the event’s debut on Saturday in China to book a spot in the final, they shaved over a half-second off that performance on Sunday to hold off the Jamaicans (40.44) and Great Britain (40.88). It was the best effort of 2025 for all three squads.
“I think this is a test and it shows how hard we work,” an elated Asemota said.
“We had been to the relay camp, we all sacrificed so many weeks of the year to get this relay right. We showed it on the track and with this medal. We did it.”
WATCH | Canada achieves season-best time in mixed 4x100m final:
Canada’s mixed 4x100m team of Sade McCreath, Marie-Éloïse Leclair, Duan Asemoto and Eliezer Adjibi capture gold Sunday at the 2025 World Athletics Relay Championships in Guangzhou, China in a season’s best time of 40.30.
Pre-event favourites the United States was absent from the final after fumbling a baton exchange in the heats.
Canada’s 4×100 team, the reigning Olympic champions, lost precious time when the exchange between starter Aaron Brown and Jerome Blake wasn’t clean.
Undeterred, Blake, Brendon Rodney and anchor Andre De Grasse persevered and reached the medal podium, earning bronze behind South Africa and the United States.
Akani Simbine, coming of a victory in the 100 at the Diamond League season opener, delivered a late burst of speed to anchor South Africa to victory. Simbine ran 9.99 two weeks ago in Xiamen, China after posting a season world-leading 9.90 on April 12 before a packed National Stadium in Gaborone at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix.
The Canadian foursome that won Olympic gold last summer in Paris with a 37.50 clocking went 38.11 on Sunday. They ran 37.89 a year ago to capture world relay silver in Nassau, Bahamas.
WATCH | Canadians reach men’s 100m relay podium with bronze:
Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake, Brendon Rodney and Andre De Grasse raced to a bronze medal time of 38.11 Sunday at the World Athletics Relay Championships in Guangzhou, China.
Canada was second in its heat on Saturday to qualify for Sunday’s final but more importantly secure a spot at the world championships.
The automatic qualification was in doubt until De Grasse lifted his team in the anchor leg. The Markham, Ont., native held off Australia and the Netherlands to cross the line in 38.15 behind Japan (37.84).
Canada’s 4×400 mixed team of Austin Cole, Lauren Gale, Nathan George and Zoe Sherar will compete at worlds after taking nearly 10 seconds off their season best from Saturday and stopping the clock in three minutes 12.95 seconds in the second round of qualifying on Sunday.
WATCH | Canada books spot at world championships in mixed 4x400m:
Canada’s Austin Cole, Lauren Gale, Nathan George and Zoe Sherar ran to a third place heat finish with a time of 3:12.95 Sunday at the 2025 World Athletics Relay Championships in Guangzhou, China.
They needed a top-three finish to advance and placed third, holding off India by almost two seconds (3:14.81) in the second of two heats.
Cole, Gale, George and Sherar were the last of six teams in the third and final heat on Saturday in 3:22.37.
The Canadian women’s 4×100 team of Jacqueline Madogo, Audrey Leduc, McCreath and Leclair was fifth in Sunday’s final in a national record 42.46.
Canada was in fourth in its Saturday heat when Leduc took the baton and powered past the Italian and Dutch runners to secure a second-place finish (43.11) and clinch a berth at worlds.
WATCH | Canadian women set national record in 4x100m:
42.46 is the new women’s 4×100-metre relay Canadian record time set by Sade McCreath, Jacqueline Madogo, Marie-Éloïse Leclair and Audrey Leduc Sunday at the World Athletics Relay Championships in Guangzhou, China.
The Canadians struggled at the outset of the women’s 4×400 final and struggled to make up ground, crossing the finish line seventh in the eight-team field.
But they, too, booked a spot at worlds on Saturday and followed up with a 3:27.84 effort.
Lead runner Micha Powell replaced Jasneet Nijjar on Sunday, joining Madeline Price, Sherar and Gale.
Canada was fourth in Saturday’s heat (3:37.28) to advance to the final.
WATCH | Worlds-bound Canadian women 7th in 4x400m final:
Finishing with a time of 3:27.84, Canada’s women’s 4×400-metre relay team placed seventh Sunday at World Athletics Relay Championships in Guangzhou, China.
