Athletics Canada hopes to take last-ditch shot at qualifying men's 4x400 relay team for Paris Olympics

Canada's men's 4x400-metre relay chances for Paris 2024 are hanging in the balance, and depending on what happens by the end of this week, their Olympic dreams will still be intact or could be over before they even had a chance to be fully realized.

There is still a lot that has to happen for a Canadian men's quartet to qualify for the Games this summer — the first impasse comes at the end of this week.

This qualifying window to compete at the World Athletics Relays championships, which serves as a qualifier for Paris, closes on Sunday. The top 32 teams in the world at the end of this week qualify for the event, scheduled for May 4-5 in the Bahamas.

This past Saturday at the Florida Relays in Gainesville a Canadian foursome composed of Aaron Brown, Marco Arop, Ibrahim Ayorinde and Callum Robinson posted a time of three minutes 3.73 seconds, good enough to put Canada in the 31st position.

Mexico has since posted a time faster than that, putting the Canadians on the brink in the 32nd and final position with just days left in the qualifying window.

Gilbert said there is consideration whether Athletics Canada tries to post a quicker time by cobbling together a team and competing at sanctioned event this week.

"This weekend would be the last shot at doing anything. There is talk of trying to do something," he said. "I don't know if it will happen because everything is last minute."

There is a serious push from Athletics Canada to qualify as many relay teams for Paris 2024 as possible. Many of the teams have already put forward competitive times, including the men's 4x100m relay team, as well as the women's 4x400m relay team. 

Canada would need a top-14 finish at World Relays to earn an Olympic spot in Paris, and not since the