Canada's Jerome Blake injured in men's 4x100m final at World Athletics Relays

domain Athletics Relays Championships: daytime 2 - capital of botswana

tick on the video player above to watch live coverage of the World Athletics Relays from Gaborone, Botswana.

Jerome Blake pulled up in the second leg of the men's 4x100-metre final, favouring his right leg while hobbling to hand the baton to Brendon Rodney as Canada placed seventh in the eight-team field in 40.06 seconds.

The United States won in a world-leading 37.43 seconds, followed by South Africa (37.49) and Germany (37.76).

Aaron Brown, Andre De Grasse, Blake and Rodney qualified for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing by winning their qualifying heat Saturday in a then-world-leading 37.56, 6-100ths of a second off their Olympic-winning time two years ago in Paris.

Canada led the women's 4x100-metre final on Sunday before Elaine Thompson-Herah exploded on the home stretch to propel Jamaica to victory in 42 seconds.

The Canadians set a national record of 42.17, one year after going 42.46 for the best-ever result by Canada.

Spain was third in Sunday's race in 42.31.

Elsewhere, Audrey Leduc pulled Canada into second position on the home straight in the mixed 4x100-metre final but couldn't catch Tia Clayton of Jamaica, who helped her team to a world record for the second time in two days.

Jamaica topped the eight-team field in 39.62 seconds after clocking 39.99 in its Saturday heat. Canada was second on Sunday in 40.23 and the United States third in a season-best 40.33.

On Saturday, Eliezer Adjibi, Marie-Éloïse Leclair, Duan Asemota and Leduc ran to a world mark of 40.07 to qualify for next year's World Athletics Championships in Beijing. About 10 minutes later, Jamaica won its heat in 39.99.

With its top-six finish in the final, Canada automatically qualifies for the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in September.

A year ago in Guangzhou, China, Sade McCreath, Eliezer Adjibi, Leclair and Asemota prevailed in a season-best 40.30 over Jamaica.

Make it five relay teams representing Canada at athletics worlds next year.

Edmonton's Dianna Proctor anchored the mixed 4x400-metre team to victory in Round 2 of qualifying in a Canadian record three minutes 12.43 seconds.

With Canada in third position for much of the race on a sunny and warm Sunday, Proctor stayed close behind Belgium's Camille Laus and Nanako Matsumoto of Japan before overtaking them over the final 100 metres on the straightaway.

Proctor prevailed by fewer than three metres, while Laus qualified Belgium in 3:12.79. Japan was third in 3:12.86.

Canada sets 4x400m mixed relay national record, qualifies for World Championships with comeback win

Last year in Guangzhou, China, Austin Cole, Lauren Gale, Nathan George and Zoe Sherar took nearly 10 seconds off their season best in the final, clocking a then-national record 3:12.95 in the second round of qualifying.

On Saturday, Ryder Rattee, Savannah Sutherland, Emma Cannan and George were fifth (3:14.93) in their heat and did not qualify for Sunday’s final.

The 29-member Canadian team in Botswana is fronted by the Olympic champion foursome of Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney, and Jerome Blake, who compete in the men's 4x100 final.

During competition on Saturday at World Relays, the men’s, women’s, and mixed 4x100 teams qualified for next year's worlds, as well as the women’s 4x400. Those teams will compete in Sunday's finals.

Add some “good” to your morning and evening.

Get up to speed on what's happening in sports. Delivered weekdays.

---

---