Quebecer Bruny Surin has been named Canada’s chef de mission for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) made the announcement on Friday at Olympic House in Montreal.
The 54-year-old ex-sprinter has participated in the Olympics four times: in Seoul (in the long jump, in 1988), Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996) and Sydney (2000).
He was part of the legendary Canadian relay that won gold in the 4x100m at the Atlanta Games, along with Donovan Bailey, Glenroy Gilbert, Robert Esmie and Carlton Chambers. Running third after Esmie and Gilbert, Surin widened the gap with the Americans. When he handed the baton to Bailey, he threw his arms up in the sky, knowing victory was assured.
Surin also won two world titles in the 4x100m relay, in 1995 and 1997, in addition to finishing third in 1993. He also stood on the podium at the World Championships twice in the 100m, winning silver in 1995 and 1999 .
Several records
His time of 9.84 seconds in 1999 tied the Canadian record, set by Bailey, for winning Olympic gold in Atlanta. This brand still stands and today constitutes the 16and fastest time in history over this distance.
He narrowly missed the 100m podium at the Barcelona Olympics, finishing fourth, five hundredths of a second from the bronze medal.
Surin is also a two-time Commonwealth Games medalist. He won bronze in the 100m in 1990 and gold in the 4 x 100m relay in 1994.
He was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame and the Quebec Sports Hall of Fame in 2004, as well as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 2008, along with his Atlanta relay teammates.
In addition to his exploits on the outdoor tracks, Surin was the world indoor champion in the 60m in 1993 and 1995. He is still the Canadian record holder in the distance in 6.45 seconds.
Surin was also Chef de Mission for Team Canada at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Born in 1967 in Cap-Haitien, Surin and his family emigrated to Canada in 1975, when he was 8 years old. He becomes a Canadian citizen and falls in love with basketball.
He quickly turned to athletics, where he was noticed by coach Daniel St-Hilaire, but then practiced the long jump and the triple jump. It was after experiencing ankle problems that another trainer, the Italian Franco Barucci, suggested that he concentrate on the sprint events.
The choice would prove to be wise: he won the Canadian title in 10.14 seconds that year, before winning his first international medal, the bronze of the 1990 Commonwealth Games, in 10.12 seconds.
Surin is now an entrepreneur, lecturer and philanthropist thanks to the Bruny-Surin Foundation.