Andre de Grasse anchored Canada to victory in the Olympic men’s 4x100m relay in Paris on Saturated morning AEST.
The Canadian quartet, also comprising Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake and Brendon Rodney, clocked 37.50s for gold.
South Africa took silver in an African record of 37.57s and Britain bronze (37.61).
“It feels pretty amazing,” said De Grasse.
“To be out with these guys, my brothers, I’ve been with them since the beginning of time, so it’s amazing.
“We talked about this moment for years. It feels good to bring it to fruition. I’m super grateful.”
Brown added: “Individuals didn’t go our way but when we come together we’re a real strong team. You can never count us out, we feel great.”
Defending champions Italy, featuring Tokyo’s individual 100m champion Marcell Jacobs on the second leg, finished fourth in 37.68sec.
The United States, missing Covid-hit 100m champion Noah Lyles, initially crossed the line in seventh in 37.89s, but were later disqualified.
Christian Coleman botched the first baton handover with Kenny Bednarek, the latter coming to an almost total standstill.
Kyree King and Fred Kerley could do nothing to drag the quartet back into the running.
“It just didn’t happen,” Coleman said.
“Maybe we could have put in some more work, it just didn’t happen.
“We practised a lot. Me and Kenny have been awesome teammates a few times over the years. We felt really confident. It just didn’t happen.
“We’re our own biggest critic. We’re disappointed because we know we had the speed to do it. It’s part of the sport that you come into it with the risk reward.”
SPANISH FOOTBALLERS WIN THRILLING FINAL
Substitute Sergio Camello struck twice in extra time to settle a remarkable Olympic men’s football final as Spain beat France 5-3 to take gold.
It had looked as though Spain were going to run away with victory at the Parc des Princes in Paris when they recovered from conceding an early goal to lead 3-1 by halftime.
Enzo Millot put France in front, but a Fermin Lopez brace and an Alex Baena free-kick turned the final completely on its head.
However, France staged a memorable comeback with Maghnes Akliouche pulling a goal back before Jean-Philippe Mateta converted a stoppage-time penalty awarded following a VAR review.
That took the final into extra time, where Rayo Vallecano forward Camello emerged as the hero by giving Spain the lead again in the 100th minute of an absorbing game, and then running away to seal their victory at the death.
Silver medallists in Tokyo three years ago, it is the second time Spain have won Olympic men’s football gold after their victory in Barcelona in 1992 with a squad featuring Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique.
France had hoped for a second gold of their own, 40 years after winning in Los Angeles, but instead have to settle for silver.
The victory completes a glorious summer on the pitch for Spain’s men after their triumph at the Euros in Germany last month. They also recently won the Under-19 Euros by getting the better of France in the final.
However, Henry’s team can leave with their heads held high at the end of a classic match, the scenario of which recalled memories of the 2022 World Cup final which France lost on penalties to Argentina after a similar comeback attempt.
‘GOTTA STEP UP THE QUALITY’: US STAR RIPS OLYMPIC MEDALS
The International Olympic Committee may want to get their money back from the producer of this year’s medals.
Team USA skateboarder Nyjah Huston made a surprising post on Instagram that showed the quality of the bronze medal he won wasn’t in the best shape after just a few days of getting it.
The 29-year-old won bronze in the men’s street final on July 29 and recently returned home to the United States, where he started to notice the quality of the prize starting to deteriorate.
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“Alright, so these Olympic medals look great when they’re brand new,” Huston said in an Instagram story.
“But after letting it sit on my skin with some sweat for a little bit and letting my friends wear it over the weekend, they’re apparently not as high quality as you’d think. It’s looking rough.”
While he was describing the condition of the medal he also flipped the camera to show the deteriorating state of the back of the prize.
The front view wasn’t as damaged, but the wear and tear of the only days-old bronze could be seen on the front as well.
“I don’t know, Olympic medals, we gotta step up the quality a little bit,” he added.
Huston knows a thing or two about medals and the quality they should be.
He has won gold 12 times in the X Games and six more in the World Championships along with nine silver and four bronze medals combined in both competitions.
The medals for this year’s games were designed by Paris jewellery house Chaumet and made by the Paris Mint, which created 2,600 for the Olympics and 2,400 for the Paralympics, which start on Aug. 28.
A gold medal was estimated to be worth $1,027, according to Oxford Economics.
KHELIF GOES FOR GOLD, HEADLINES PACKED OLYMPIC SCHEDULE
A thrilling open-water swim in the River Seine kicked off Friday’s Olympic action in Paris, which will later see Algerian gender eligibility row boxer Imane Khelif go for gold.
With just three days left of the Olympics, a packed athletics schedule features sprint relays, as the US seeks to maintain dominance in the 4x100m relay — even without Covid-hit 100m champion Noah Lyles.
In the day’s first event, 31 men plunged into the waters of the Seine for the 10k marathon swim, as officials again deemed the river clean enough to compete.
A hard-fought race finished with a sprint between Hungary’s Kristof Rasovszky and Oliver Klemet of Germany, just won by the Hungarian, nicknamed the “Balaton Shark” after his club.
David Betlehem, also from Hungary, won bronze, pipping Italy’s Domenico Acerenza by a fingertip after a gruelling battle against the strong currents in the Seine.
The water quality in the Seine has been a major talking point during the Games, with training sessions cancelled and the men’s triathlon postponed after elevated pollution levels.
On the track, a nail-biting women’s heptathlon builds to a crescendo, with Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson holding a tiny 48-point lead over reigning Olympic champion Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium.
The evening session will see 4x100m relays for the men and women, with the all-conquering US hot favourites in both, even after sprint king Lyles withdrew after contracting Covid.
“It is not the Olympic(s) I dreamed of but it has left me with so much joy in my heart,” said the brash American.
Lyles came third in the 200m final on Thursday, with Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo claiming gold for Africa’s first-ever 200m crown.
President Mokgweetsi Masisi gave the whole country the afternoon off to celebrate the gold which he said would be “etched in the annals of the history of the Republic”.
In Friday’s women’s 10,000m final, Dutch runner Sifan Hassan will attempt to defend her crown after coming up short in her bid for a historic long-distance treble.
Hassan could secure only bronze in the 5,000m final on Monday and also competes in the marathon on Sunday.
In the final event of the night, world record-holder Karsten Warholm from Norway is clear favourite to defend his title in the men’s 400m hurdles.
The boxing ring will be the centre of attention late on Friday when Khelif, 25, takes on China’s Yang Liu in the 66kg final at 6.51am AEST.
A row over the eligibility of Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting has overshadowed the Olympic boxing tournament and the Games as a whole.
The International Boxing Association disqualified both from last year’s world championships after they failed gender eligibility tests but both were cleared to fight in Paris.
Both boxers have fought on the women’s circuit for years and competed at the Tokyo Games without controversy.
A row erupted when Khelif stopped her Italian opponent after just 46 seconds, with celebrities and politicians weighing in to make baseless claims over her gender.
But Khelif has won the support of fans in Paris, with cries of “Imane, Imane” ringing out repeatedly before and during her semi-final bout on Tuesday.
“I am like all athletes, I am here to achieve my dream,” she said. Lin fights on Saturday in a different weight category.
Other crunch events see Thierry Henry’s France take on Spain in the men’s football final at the Parc des Princes, aiming for the first gold since 1984.
They have conceded just a single goal in five matches and Henry admits he does not want his Olympic dream to end.
“I think it’s going to be difficult waking up,” he said. “Every night I watch and get goosebumps when I see the guys win.” In diving, China are targeting gold in the women’s 3m springboard as they close in on clean sweep in Paris, with victories in all six events so far.
Defending champions the Netherlands take on China in the women’s hockey final, chasing their fourth title in five Games after the Dutch men’s team won gold.
History will also be made when the first Olympics medals are won in the breaking competition.
