De Grasse, reigning men's relay champions headline Canadian team for worlds

Canada's reigning world champion 4x100-metre relay team is back to defend its title.

Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney and Jerome Blake were among the 50 athletes named by Athletics Canada to represent the country at the 2023 world championships, which begin Aug. 19 in Budapest.

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Brown said the 4x100 team is still "fine-tuning" things ahead of the competition.

"We're pushing each other to get better, so we know where we're weak and where we're strong. We're just going to work on our flaws and get ready for Budapest," he said.

WATCH | Athletics North breaks down De Grasse's performance at nationals:

De Grasse, the six-time Olympic medallist, failed to meet the qualifying standard in the 100, but took top spot in the 200 at the recent national championships in Langley, B.C.

Canada won four medals at the 2022 worlds. In addition to the 4x100 team, decathlete Pierce LePage and hammer thrower Camryn Rogers will look to back up their silver medals, while Marco Arop hopes to upgrade on his 800 bronze.

Olympic decathlon champion Damian Warner, who was injured at worlds last year, is also back.

Other Olympic medallists named to the team include race walker Evan Dunfee and middle-distance runner Moh Ahmed. Commonwealth Games shot put champion Sarah Mitton will aim to improve on her fourth-place finish in 2022.

"There is a lot of strength throughout the entire group that's been selected," said head coach Glenroy Gilbert. "If you look at the individuals that make up the team, there are obviously some heavy hitters. We're a very diverse group and we're expecting people to go out there and perform on demand."

See a full list of Canadian athletes headed to Budapest here.

Athletics Canada also released the names of 47 athletes who may yet join the team, pending invitations from World Athletics on Saturday.

The national federation said it expects two to four athletes from the list will be added to the team.

With files from The Canadian Press

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