Canadian men's 4x100m relay team receives silver medals in reallocation ceremony

Aaron Brown, from left to right, Jerome Blake, Brendon Rodney and Andre De Grasse pose with their Tokyo Olympics silver medals after being awarded the upgraded medals during a ceremony at the Canadian track and field championships, in Langley, B.C., on Saturday, July 29, 2023. The four were all scheduled to race the men's 200-metre final to bring the Canadian track and field championship to a close. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

LANGLEY, B.C. — The Canadian men's 4x100-metre relay team received its Olympic silver medals Saturday at the Canadian national trials in a medal reallocation ceremony.

The group of Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney and Jerome Blake had initially earned bronze in the event at the Tokyo Games two years ago.

However, an official upgrade came in May 2022 following the disqualification of the British team due to a doping violation by team member CJ Ujah.

The group received it at McLeod Stadium in Langley in front of cheering fans, with the original Tokyo race broadcast on the big screen display before the medals were awarded.

De Grasse -- a six-time Olympic medallist and the reigning Olympic champion in the 200 -- failed to qualify for the 100 final on Friday and Brown won his fifth consecutive national title.

Damian Warner is competing in the men's 110 hurdles final after failing to qualify for the 400 on Friday.

Warner is competing in individual events at the national trials instead of the decathlon, where he is the reigning Olympic champion.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2023.