Canadian Men’s 4x100m Relay Team

The Canadian men’s 4×100-metre relay team of Gavin Smellie (Etobicoke), Seyi Smith (Ottawa), Jared Connaughton (New Haven) and Justyn Warner (Markham) ran the race of their lives this evening at the 2012 Olympic Games.

Initial results awarded Canada the bronze medal behind the United States and Jamaica, who took gold in a world record time of 36.84 seconds; however Canada was later disqualified for a lane violation just before the final baton exchange.

Camera review showed Connaughton stepping on the line as he rounded the corner.

A distraught Connaughton exclaims, “I take full responsibility. I am captain of this team and these guys are like my little brothers.

We ran a great relay. We’re one of the best teams in the world and one miss-step took it all away.”

The team’s anchor Justyn Warner comments on the race, “We put everything into it, we ran a good race.

This sucks.  We got the job done and we won that medal.”  He adds, “We worked hard for years for this and we proved all the doubters wrong, every one of those guys gave everything they had.”

Glenroy Gilbert, National team sprint and relay coach was at a loss for words but managed to say, “I can’t put this into words to express the sadness I feel for them.

Disqualification is a hard pill to shallow.  I feel nothing but overwhelming sadness.”

Athletics Canada head coach Alex Gardiner comments on the disqualification, “The program is in great hands under Glenroy Gilbert.  We have eight guys in the mix and we can be consistent in the low 38.00s.” He adds, “Jared doesn’t have to apologize. Nobody works harder and wants it more than him.”
Cameron Levins of Black Creek, B.C., finished 14th overall in the men’s 5000-metre final in a time of 13:52.87. “I wasn’t 100%.  I got sick recently and wasn’t able to clear out my lungs. I was trying to be positive going into it but I didn’t feel I could breathe.  It happens.  It’s part of it.”

He adds, I need to keep working hard, I’m not at the level of some of these guys but I know I can be. I’ll probably up the volume.” At only 23 years of age and his first Olympic Games, Levins finished in the top 15 of the world in the 5,000-metres and 10,000-metres.

In the women’s 20-kilometre race walk Peterborough, Ont., Rachel Seaman finished 52nd overall with a time of 1:36:37.

Three Canadians will take to the men’s marathon tomorrow morning in the final event of the athletics competition. Reid Coolsaet of Hamilton Eric Gillis, of Antigonish and Dylan Wykes of Kingston will line up against 102 other athletes at 11:00 local time (06:00 eastern time).