Canada etched its name in the history books on Sunday, May 11, by becoming the first-ever World Relays mixed 4x100m champions at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25. The Canadian quartet of Sade McCreath, Marie-Eloise Leclair, Duan Asemota, and Eliezer Adjibi seized the opportunity to claim gold, stopping the clock at an impressive 40.30 seconds.
The much-anticipated final saw Canada, Australia, and Jamaica get off to the strongest starts. As McCreath completed her opening leg, she handed the baton to Leclair, while Australia’s Olivia Dodds passed on to Carla Bull and Jamaica’s Krystal Sloley took over from Serena Cole. The race remained tightly contested, with each team executing clean exchanges and keeping the crowd on edge.
Great Britain & Northern Ireland, who had remained in contention throughout, stayed firmly in the mix as Jeriel Quainoo sprinted against Canada’s Asemota and Jamaica’s Javari Thomas. The battle for podium positions intensified heading into the final leg.
Though Canada’s final baton exchange was not as seamless as Jamaica’s, Adjibi reacted quickly out of the blocks and maintained his composure under pressure. Jamaica’s anchor, Bryan Levell, gave chase but could not close the gap. Adjibi powered down the home stretch to seal the historic victory, followed by Levell who crossed in 40.44 seconds for silver. Great Britain’s Joe Ferguson anchored his team to a 40.88 finish, securing the bronze ahead of a strong Australian side.
Earlier in the day, the United States, still recovering from a costly baton exchange error in Saturday’s heats, redeemed themselves in the additional race. The mishap had occurred during the second changeover between Jada Mowatt and Kendal Williams, ending their hopes of reaching the final.
However, in Sunday’s extra race, the quartet of Cambrea Sturgis, Mowatt, Williams, and Pjai Austin delivered a clean and fast performance. Austin held off a determined challenge from Germany’s anchor, Julian Wagner, to win in 40.78 seconds — notably faster than any time recorded in the heats.
The top 14 nations per relay at World Relays qualified for the World Championships set for 13–21 September 2025 in Tokyo.
The mixed 4x100m is not on the 2025 World Championships program but will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
