PARIS Audrey Leduc completed the 4X100m relay this morning at the Stade de France with a great time that allowed Canada to qualify for the final and also broke the Canadian record.
Canada ranked 7the Place when Leduc took over the baton from Marie-Éloïse Leclair. The 25-year-old sprinter from Gatineau managed 10.04 seconds and the relay finished the race in 42.50 seconds.
By placing fourth in his heat, Canada did not automatically qualify for the final, but his time was the best among the countries that did not finish in the top three and had to go through the repechage.
“It’s incredible to have broken the Canadian record,” said Leduc in the mixed zone. “When I took the baton, I knew I had to run as fast as I could. I was in hallway 8 and didn’t really see the others.”
“I did my best and was happy with our time even before we knew we were going to the final. We had a good race. It’s OK to wait for the results. It just brings out the emotions.”
Clear goal
The Canadians have had the goal of breaking the national record since the start of the season. “It’s realistic to chase the national record and we were on track to break it before the Diamond League Games in London, but we had a race breakdown. It’s magical to break the record.”
Jacqueline Madogo was the second starting player after Sade McCreath and was convinced that a Canadian record was necessary for the quartet to advance to the final. “I spoke to my coach on Wednesday and he told me that we needed the Canadian record. When I saw 42.50 on the board, I told the girls that we had set the record.”
The women’s 4x100m relay failed to qualify in Tokyo, returning to the Games for the first time since Rio in 2016, where Canada finished 6th.
The men in the final
As silver medalists in Tokyo 2021 and bronze medalists in Rio 2016, as well as 2022 world champions, the men’s relay team also secured its ticket to the final. After Andre Grasse (9.39) crossed the finish line, Canada managed 38.45 and took third place in its heat. Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake, who was the fastest Canadian with a time of 9.08 seconds, and Brendon Rodney complete the team.
The final of the 4×100 m relay will take place on Friday at 1:30 p.m. (Quebec time).
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