The 2021 World Relays taking place in Chorsaw, Poland, presents an apportunity for athletes to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer.
It is the first international track meet since the pandemic was declared in 2020 and will take place May 1 and 2.
More than 1,000 athletes from 46 nations will compete as part of 153 relay teams.
The Canadian athletes will convene in the aptly named Baton Rouge, FLA.
“With relays in general, having a camp before heading into a major competition is paramount. We do not get enough time with the athletes to work in different groups, and due to the global pandemic it has been well over a year since this group has trained or competed together,” said head coach Glenroy Gilbert. “This camp will be essential in building back the group cohesiveness and unity, not to mention the skills required to run fast as a team.”
Canada will be fielding teams in the 4×100-metre (men’s and women’s) and 4×400-metre relay (women’s and mixed) with the hopes of securing a spot at the Olympic Games by advancing to the final. Heading into Poland, the women’s 4×400-metre relay team is the only Canadian relay team that is guaranteed a spot on the start line in Tokyo after advancing to the final at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. However, the men’s 4×100-metre, mixed 4×400-metre and women’s 4×100-metre relay currently sit in 9th, 11th and 15th place, respectively, in the World Rankings (Top Lists), which would put them in contention to compete in Tokyo.
“I know going into the Championships that Glenroy, our head coach, will convey the message of qualifying for Tokyo before anything else,” said Aaron Brown who will suit-up for the men’s 4×100-metre relay. “As one of the veteran leaders on this team, I echo that sentiment. Once we are in the finals, we want to compete for the top spot because we have the talent to do it. Win or lose we do it as a team, that is a philosophy that you do not truly internalize until you have been through the fire together.”
Representing Canada at the 2021 World Athletics Relays Silesia21:
| Athlete | Hometown | Coach | Club | Event |
| Bolade Ajomale | Richmond Hill, Ont. | Charles Allen | Flying Angels Academy | Men’s 4x100m |
| Andre Azonwanna | Toronto, Ont. | Jason Kerr | Royal City Track & Field Club | Men’s 4x100m |
| Khamica Bingham^ | Caledon, Ont. | Boo Schexnayder | Brampton Track Club | Women’s 4x100m |
| Jerome Blake*^ | Kelowna, B.C. | Dennis Mitchell | Okanagan Athletics Club | Men’s 4x100m |
| Bismark Boateng*^ | Brampton, Ont. | Boo Schexnayder | Unattached | Men’s 4x100m |
| Aaron Brown*^ | Toronto, Ont. | Dennis Mitchell | Phoenix Athletics Association | Men’s 4x100m |
| Alicia Brown*^ | Ottawa, Ont. | Robert Westman | Unattached | Women’s/Mixed 4x400m |
| Leya Buchanan^ | Mississauga, Ont. | John Smith | Unattached | Women’s 4x100m |
| Austin Cole*^ | Sherwood Park, Alta. | Robert Fisher | Capital City Track Club | Mixed 4x400m |
| Joshua Cunningham | Scarborough, Ont. | Jason Kerr | Royal City Track & Field Club | Mixed 4x400m |
| Crystal Emmanuel*^ | Toronto, Ont. | Charles Allen | Unattached | Women’s 4x100m |
| Shaina Harrison^ | Vaughan, Ont. | Charles Allen | Flying Angels Track & Field Academy | Women’s 4x100m |
| Farah Jacques^ | Gatineau, Que. | Hugh Colins | Club d’athlétisme Perfmax-Racing de Montréal | Women’s 4x100m |
| Audrey Leduc | Quebec City, Que. | Fabrice Akué | Club d’athlétisme de Gatineau | Women’s 4x100m |
| Sade McCreath-Tardiel | Ajax, Ont. | Michael Dwyer | York University Track & Field Club | Women’s 4x100m |
| Philip Osei*^ | Toronto, Ont. | Jason Kerr | Royal City Track & Field Club | Mixed 4x400m |
| Micha Powell | Montreal, Que. | Bob Westman | Unattached | Women’s/Mixed 4x400m |
| Madeline Price*^ | Toronto, Ont. | Mark Mueller | Unattached | Women’s/Mixed 4x400m |
| Brendon Rodney*^ | Etobicoke, Ont. | Maurice Wilson | Unattached | Men’s 4x100m |
| Zoe Sherar^ | Kitchener, Ont. | Jason Kerr | Royal City Track & Field Club | Women’s/Mixed 4x400m |
| Gavin Smellie*^ | Brampton, Ont. | Earl Letford | Flying Angels Track & Field Academy | Men’s 4x100m |
| Aiyanna Stiverne*^ | Laval, Que. | Ronald Morency | Unattached | Women’s/Mixed 4x400m |
| Katherine Surin* | Montreal, Que. | Bruno Gajer | Club d’athlétisme Corsaire-Chaparral | Women’s/Mixed 4x400m |
| Sage Watson*^ | Medicine Hat, Alta. | Fed Harvey | Unattached | Women’s/Mixed 4x400m |
| Staff | Hometown | Role | ||
| Glenroy Gilbert | Ottawa, Ont. | Head Coach | ||
| Nicole Clarke | Kingston, Ont. | Team Manager | ||
| Charles Allen | Toronto, Ont. | Team Coach | ||
| Bob Westman | Toronto, Ont. | Team Coach | ||
| Kurt Downes | Windsor, Ont. | Team Coach | ||
| Danielle Chow-Leong | Toronto, Ont. | Team IST Lead & Massage Therapist | ||
| Gus Giannoutsos | Regina Sask. | Team Massage Therapist | ||
| Dr. Elna Johnson | Vancouver, B.C. | Team Chiropractor | ||
| Dr. Duane Smith | Ottawa, Ont. | Team Chiropractor | ||
| Dana Way | Winnipeg Beach, Man. | Team Biomechanist |
*Member of Team Canada at the 2019 World Athletics Championships
^Member of Team Canada at the 2019 World Athletics Relays
Selected non-travelling alternate/reserve athletes:
| Athlete | Hometown | Coach | Club | Event |
| Edrick Floreal Jr. | Laval, Que. | Edrick Floreal | Unattached | Men’s 4x100m |
| Nathaniel George | Pitt Meadows, B.C. | Tara Self | Coquitlam Cheetahs Track and Field Club | Mixed 4x400m |
| Shyvonne Roxborough | Ottawa, Ont. | Jason Kerr | Royal City Track & Field Club | Women’s 4x100m |
“It is a special honour every time I pull on the Team Canada singlet and I do not take it lightly. One day I will look back and realize just how fortunate I was to be able to do it time and time again,” said Brown. “My aim is always to try to make the country look good and to represent the Maple Leaf in the best light. In Poland, I get the chance to team up with three other people to combine our strengths for the common goal of success for our country, and that feeling is infections when it pans out. I will be running with guys that I have known for years and I am used to going against, so a chance to team up for Canada is always fun.”
