Team Canada snags quadruple gold at NACAC Championships
Jerome Blake, Foster Malleck and Aaron Brown led Team Canada to 12 medals in the Bahamas
Nick Iwanyshyn
In a thrilling weekend at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Track and Field Championships in Freeport, Bahamas, Team Canada’s deep roster came away with an impressive 12 medals, including four gold.
Jerome Blake, Aaron Brown and Foster Malleck led the pack with dominant efforts and fast times that landed them on top of the podium; the final gold of the meet came from the Canadian men’s 4x100m squad.
Blake clocks lifetime best for 100m gold
On Friday evening, Kelowna, B.C.’s Blake, the 200m national champion, raced to a decisive 100m win in 9.95 seconds. The time, which betters his previous 9.97-second personal best and marks a NACAC Championship record, bumps him up to fourth on the Canadian all-time list. Jamaica’s Ryiem Forde crossed six-hundredths of a second later for silver, clocking 10.01, while Rikkoi Brathwaite of the British Virgin Islands took bronze in 10.15.
Malleck takes first international win
Fresh off qualifying for the 2025 World Championships, Kitchener, Ont.’s Malleck continued his standout season with a statement in the men’s 1,500m on Saturday evening, claiming victory by a three-second margin in 3:37.54. The performance marked a championship record and Malleck’s first international medal at the senior level; he also won bronze at the U23 NACAC Championships in 2023.
Quebec City’s Charles Philibert-Thiboutot made it a 1-2 for Canada, taking silver in 3:40.57; Carlos Vilches of Puerto Rico took third in 3:41.34.
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Brown dominates the 200m
Saturday evening also saw Toronto’s Brown soar to gold in the men’s 200m, clocking 20.27 seconds–his second-fastest run this season. Jamaica’s Christopher Taylor ran 20.32 for second, with José Figueroa of Puerto Rico rounding out the podium in 20.53.
Men’s 4x100m maintain their supremacy
In the final event of the weekend, Canada’s quartet of Brown, Blake, Brendon Rodney and Eliezer Adjibi ended on a high note, taking the win in the men’s 4x100m; their 38.05 run marks a season’s best for the Canadian relay squad and a championship record. Team Jamaica crossed nearly a half-second later, taking the silver medal in 38.53, edging out the Bahamas, who clocked 38.57.
Hassan hits 800m world standard
Other standout performances include Abdullahi Hassan, who took fifth in the men’s 800m with a world-standard-qualifying time and personal best of 1:44.25; the performance will likely secure his ticket to the upcoming world championships. (Although his recent fourth place finish at nationals doesn’t automatically qualify him for worlds, only two athletes ahead of him have hit standard, leaving one spot available. The qualifying period closes Aug. 24.)
Canadian track medallists
Tatiana Aholou (100m hurdles silver) – 13.01 seconds
Aaron Ahl (3000m steeplechase silver) – personal best of 8:17.17 and #5 in Canadian history.
Grace Fetherstonhaugh (3000m steeplechase silver) – 9:43.91
Lucia Stafford (1,500m bronze) – 4:11.11
Regan Yee (5,000m bronze) – 15:39.56
Click here for full results from the 2025 NACAC Championships.
