Canada wins gold, bronze to end World Relays and clinches another spot at athletics worlds

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 4x100-metre mixed relay team strikes World Athletics gold

Pre-event favourites the United States was absent from the final after fumbling a baton exchange in the heats.

Canada's 4x100 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