Tight-knit Canadian men's 4x100m relay team eyes repeat at world championships

With targets on their backs, the Canadian men's 4x100-metre relay team has its eyes locked on a singular objective: repeat.

Canada won gold at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore., with a world-leading time of 37.48 seconds. The team of Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney and Jerome Blake is also currently tied for the world-leading time with Japan this year at 37.80, having achieved it at the Florida Relays on April 1.

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As the 2023 world championships unfold from Saturday to Aug. 27 in Budapest, Hungary, Blake says the group knows what it will take to get the job done.

De Grasse shared a similar sentiment while acknowledging what awaits them.

"It's definitely gonna be tough," he said. "You got the Americans, you got the Jamaicans and you got the Brits. It's always two or three teams in the mix, so yeah, it's definitely gonna be a challenge but I think we'll definitely be ready to take it on and try our best to defend that title."

Live coverage of the 2023 world championships will be available on CBC-TV, CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.

The Canadians received their silver medals from the Tokyo Olympics in a reallocation ceremony at the Canadian championships in Langley, B.C., in July.

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