Canadian men's, women's 4x100m relay teams earn spots in Olympic finals

Canada will be represented in both the men's and women's 4x100-metre relay finals at the Paris Olympic Games after securing berths in the heats on Thursday at Stade de France.

Racing at less than full health, four Canadian men's sprinters delivered a strong performance to secure their spot.

Andre De Grasse ran the anchor leg and held off Jamaica's Kishane Thompson at the finish line for third place. The top three teams from each of the two heats and the next two fastest race in Friday's final at 1:47 p.m. ET.

De Grasse revealed to CBC Sports after clocking 20.41 seconds in Wednesday's 200 semifinal that he's dealing with a lingering hamstring injury that is manageable running straight. Following his opening-round heat on Monday, the 2021 Olympic champion in the distance lifted his right leg and winced.

"I'm trying to give it my best effort and hopefully that'll be enough [for the relay final]," said De Grasse when asked about his physical health in an interview with Devin Heroux of CBC Sports.

Brown posted the fastest opening leg in the second of two heats Thursday in 10.48.

"I did what I had to do to get my guys in good position and I'm going to do the same thing tomorrow. I love my guys and I know [we] can [win a medal]," he said.

WATCH | De Grasse lifts Canadian men into Olympic relay final:

Brown also wasn't 100 per cent during the 200 semifinals after battling a stomach bug during the Canadian athletics team's pre-Olympic camp in Barcelona.

Still, the two-time Olympic medallist from Toronto said Canadians should expect "magic" from the relay team in the final.

"We're going to fix some things, watch some [race video]. We've got the best coaches … and we'll be ready."

Brendon Rodney, who missed qualifying for the