(Saint-Denis) Posted at the 80-meter line, Bruny Surin had one of the best seats among the 70,000 at the Stade de France. With the Canadian team’s chef de mission ready to be unfurled, the Canadian team’s chief of mission believed in it.
The almost disastrous individual performances of the sprinters in Paris had not extinguished his legendary enthusiasm.
In the morning, he had published a story on Instagram, in which he reminded Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake, Brendan Rodney and Andre De Grasse that nothing could surpass a team. “When we put our efforts together, we can do miracles,” he sent them in essence. In muted tones, the recall of Atlanta in 1996.
Qualified by the back door, confined to the outside in lane 9, the Canadians did not, however, appear to be major players in this 4 X 100 m relay final on Friday evening.
Even less so with De Grasse on one leg and disturbed by the departure of his coach in controversy. After the encouraging sixth place of the young relay runners led by Audrey Leduc, Canadian hopes rested rather on shot putter Sarah Mitton on this penultimate evening of athletics, doused by an unexpected downpour.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Andre De Grasse
The Canadian quartet, most of whose members have worked together since winning bronze in Rio in 2016 and silver in Tokyo, did not see it that way.
The magic
After yesterday’s qualifying, where Canada was the last to be picked by time, Brown said a good video session would allow them to make adjustments and turn things around.
“I never stopped believing in it,” assured the first torchbearer. “These guys can achieve incredible things when we come together and put our minds to it.”
If anything, lane 9 and its less pronounced curves would favour the Canadian sprinters, especially Blake and Rodney and their long legs. Even the rain seemed to spare him.
“You can never underestimate us, no matter what the situation,” Brown added. “Like I mentioned Thursday, lane 2, lane 9, we can be in the stands, it doesn’t matter. Give us a chance, these guys can create magic together.”
Blake, the comic of the group, set the tone at the start of the day: “Wake up, let’s go, we have a race to win!”
Brown: “I didn’t even want to get out of bed after what happened individually. I got sick when I got here. I didn’t perform well at all. But this guy, he said no, we’re going to do this in relay. We’re going to finish this meet strong.”
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Andre De Grasse ensured the last Canadian relay
De Grasse was equally down after his eliminations in the semi-finals of the individual events. His tight hamstring, which had slowed him down in the 200m, also worried him. At least it was warm, favourable conditions for his warm-up, which he stretched out over two hours.
The guys were pissing me off. They said: try to be Andre De Grasse. Go out there and leave it all on the track. Half the battle is mental, right?
Andre De Grasse
In practice, he reworked the exchange with Rodney, which had gone badly in qualifying. They practiced one last one, just to be sure, moving the mark forward a little to allow him to accelerate for longer before receiving the baton.
The man for special occasions
At around 7:40 p.m., the wild beasts were released onto the purple track at the Stade de France. The Canadians placed their arms in an X at the presentation, perhaps a way of warding off bad luck.
Even without the eccentric Noah Lyles, who was infected with COVID-19, the Americans, the first to qualify, displayed their usual arrogant air, even though they are waiting for their first title since 2000.
Bruny Surin pointed out to Eric Myles, the Canadian Olympic Committee’s chief sport officer, that the shuffle of their lineup didn’t bode well. He was right: Christian Coleman and Kenny Bednarek completely missed the first baton handoff, which ruined their race and earned them a disqualification.
Meanwhile, Brown passed Blake without much trouble. Blake then put together “his best back straight of his life,” De Grasse said. Canada was in third when Blake tucked the stick into Rodney’s palm, yelling encouragement as he headed toward De Grasse at the end of the curve.
At this point the Japanese and Italians, in the two inside lanes, enjoyed a priority of one or two tenths over Canada.
The ball was in De Grasse’s court, the man for big occasions. After a perfect exchange, he took flight, taking on Italy’s Tortu and Japan’s Ueyama 20 metres from the line, just under Surin’s eyes. South Africa’s Akani Simbini and Britain’s Zharnel Hughes gained ground, but too late: the Canadian with the dark glasses once again demonstrated why he is one of the best finishers in history. Usain Bolt can testify to that.
“We did it!”
Arms in the air, De Grasse jumped into Brown’s arms. The two began to spin. Twenty-eight years after the dramatic coronation of Robert Esmie, Glenroy Gilbert, Bruny Surin and Donovan Bailey, the Maple Leaf once again won gold in the 4 X 100m relay. The stunned and silent crowd in Atlanta in 1996 had given way to the usual jubilation of the Stade de France.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Andre De Grasse celebrates with teammate Aaron Brown.
Leduc, Marie-Éloïse Leclair, Jacqueline Madogo and Sadé McCreath came back down to the track to congratulate their teammates.
Surin was able to wave his flag before embracing the quartet. “We did it, we did it!” exclaimed the head of mission with Eric Myles, his Parisian sidekick.
“We almost had a heart attack, it was sick!” Surin confided as she arrived at the women’s beach volleyball final.
To live that moment, 28 years later, Canada wins another gold medal, I witness it and I’m also the chef de mission? For me, it’s a dream. It’s unreal. It can’t be, it can’t be… I’m literally freaking out!
Bruny Surin
Bruny Surin expected to be up all night, having overcome an individual disappointment in 1996 before throwing up his hands after handing the baton to Bailey. “And Glenroy won’t sleep either, I can tell you! It’s crazy, it’s sick! I’ve got the video, pictures, I’ve got everything!”
As in 1996
More content than his former teammate, Gilbert did not pretend that he expected this gold medal. Named head coach of the Canadian team in 2017, he has always retained responsibility for the relays, with one idea in mind.
“When I started this job, my goal was to build a team that could win the Olympics,” he said in the mixed zone. “We won the Olympics in 1996, and I wanted to coach a team that would do exactly what we did. These guys did it tonight. They surprised me.”
PHOTO NATHAN DENETTE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
The Canadian quartet with their medal
The goal for Brown, Blake and Rodney was to give De Grasse enough cushion. “These four guys are at the top of the sprint,” Gilbert added. “They’re not old, but they’ve run a lot of races and had very little rest before they came out and did what they did today. It’s a good illustration of where they’re at. They listen. Their confidence is immense. They believe in what they can accomplish together, and they showed us that tonight.”
With the win, De Grasse now has seven Olympic medals, including two gold. The 29-year-old joins swimmer Penny Oleksiak as the most decorated Canadian athlete in Summer Games history.
“It’s incredible,” said De Grasse, who is already looking ahead to 2028. “The seventh is special. It shows my determination, my hard work and my perseverance. I guess I could tell my kids and everybody that this was probably the hardest one. Because it wasn’t as smooth as the last two Olympics. It’s a really big moment for me, and it’s one that I’ll always remember along with the gold in the 200 metres.” [à Tokyo]. »
He won’t be the only one.