Rio 2016 Olympic Games - 4x100m Round 1 Results

RIO DE JANEIRO – On the biggest stage of his young career, Academy of Art University track & field's first-ever Olympian Mobolade Ajomale did not disappoint.

Thursday morning saw Ajomale run an impressive anchor leg for Team Canada in the qualifying round of the men's 4x100m relay at the 2016 Olympic Games. Building off his teammates' work, he helped contribute to Canada's second-fastest time in the event and earned them a spot in Friday's final.
 
"The goal coming in was to go out there, qualify for the final, and we did just that," said Ajomale. "I knew with about 50 meters to go that we would qualify so the only thing going on in my mind was, 'Let's go out there and do it again!'"

After a false start disqualified the Dominican Republic in the opening heat, Team Canada sent Akeem Haynes out for the first 100m. He would hand off to Aaron Brown for the second leg and Brendon Rodney pushed through the third to set up Ajomale as the anchor. Strong down the stretch, Ajomale joined Zhang Peimeng of China and Jarrion Lawson of the United States as three countries separated from the remaining competitors.

Team Canada placed third in their heat to ensure an automatic qualification to the final and their collective time of 37.89 would have them fourth overall out of the eight teams that advanced. It was the second-fastest time ever run by a Canadian quartet, behind only Robert Esmie, Glenroy Gilbert, Bruny Surin, and Donovan Bailey's 37.69 run at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Though he did not compete in Thursday's relay to rest for the 200m final, 100m bronze medalist Andre De Grasse will likely be in tomorrow's final.

In the lane next to Canada, the United States team of Mike Rodgers, Christian Coleman, Tyson Gay, and Lawson won the heat and ended up finishing first overall with a time of 37.65. Japan won the second of the two heats with a 37.68 and China edged Canada for third overall by 0.07 at 37.82.

Rounding out the qualifiers were Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Great Britain and host nation Brazil. Jamaica, who ran Jevaughn Minzie, Asafa Powell, Nickel Ashmeade, and Kemar Bailey-Cole in the prelim, will expect to have Usain Bolt amongst its final quartet.

The 4x100m final is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. PT tomorrow. Live coverage links are as follows: Live Results & Live Video.