
The Canadian 4×100 metre men’s relay team that won the gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, was named the Canadian Press Team of the Year Award for 2024 according to Francois Lafleur of the Canadian Olympic Committee on Sunday. The Canadian Olympic gold medalists were Andre de Grasse of Scarborough, Ontario, Brandon Rodney of Etobicoke, Ontario, Aaron Brown of Toronto, Ontario, and Jerome Blake of Burnaby, British Columbia.
What was most remarkable from the Canadian victory in the men’s 4×100 metre relay Olympic final was their lane. They were in lane nine, which is generally not considered a great lane to start in during an international meet. However, the outside lane did not bother the four Canadians in the Olympic final, as they posted a winning time of 37.5 seconds. South Africa won the silver medal with a time of 37.57 seconds, and Great Britain won the bronze medal with a time of 37.61 seconds. Canada reached the podium by 0.18 seconds over Italy, which had a fourth place time of 37.68 seconds.
The pre-race favourite was the United States. However, the Americans were disqualified due to a botched handoff during the race.
This is the second time a Canadian 4×100 metre men’s relay team won the Canadian Press Team of the Year Award. They previously won in 1996 after winning gold at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. The Canadian team in the 1996 final comprised of Donovan Bailey, Robert Esmie, Glenroy Gilbert and Bruny Surin.