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Canada's track and field team breaks out with medals, moments in Rio

RIO DE JANEIRO – Make some room, Donovan Bailey. The past week of track and field at the Olympics in Rio was filled with successes not seen in these parts for some time.

Bailey’s gold medal triumph in the 100 metres at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta is cherished as one of the iconic Canadian moments at the Summer Olympics. It’s been played over and over, the obvious lead in clip to any track and field coverage over the last 20 years.

There’s another reason for that. What could possibly replace it? Canada had won three medals in athletics in the four Summer Games since Atlanta heading into Rio and left London 2012 with just one: Derek Drouin’s bronze in the high jump.Heck, the Wikipedia entry for Canada’s history at the Summer Olympics includes, “Canada is not traditionally strong in athletics.”

But if Rio is any indication, that might be about to change. Three medals in track; two medals in the grueling all-around competitions; one medal in the high jump. Six total. The most since the Los Angeles Olympics …. in 1932, not the boycott affected Games of ’84. Records fell that were in place since the 1920s and ‘30s.

Andre De Grasse: A silver in the 200 metres, a bronze in the 100 metres and a bronze alongside Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney, Akeem Haynes, and Mobolade Ajomale (who ran in the heats) in the 4x100 relay.

Brianne Theisen-Eaton: A bronze in the heptathlon.

Damian Warner: A bronze in the decathlon.

Derek Drouin: A gold in the high jump.

No surprises there either, as they all reached the podium at the 2015 World Championships. The only major disappointment from the meet was Shawn Barber, who won gold pole vault, but made an early exit from the final.

Look beyond the podiums and the progress is still undeniable. Top 8 finishes in London? Eight. In Rio? 13.

Melissa Bishop ran the 800 metres in 1.57.02 seconds to break her own national record, but finished a heartbreaking 0.13 seconds off the podium.

Mohammed Ahmed was fourth in the men’s 5,000 metres. The women’s 4x400 relay team of Carline Muir, Alicia Brown, Noelle Montcalm, and Sage Watson placed fourth in their final, too.

Evan Dunfee missed a medal in the 50-kilometre race walk by one spot, then was elevated to the podium because of a disqualification, only to have it taken away later in the day when the decision was overturned. He still walked away with a Canadian record and the way he handled himself during the race and in the aftermath earned the respect and admiration of others.

The Canadians delivered medals, moments, and memories at these Games. De Grasse boldly chasing down Usain Bolt. Drouin with his hands on his head as his gold medal dream was realized. Theisen-Eaton and Warner battling back from substandard first days in their events to score their medals.

While sports like rowing and wrestling have carried Canada in Games past, the track and field program was an integral part of the 22 total medals and helping the country reach its targeted goal of a top-12 overall finish in the medal table.

"The last couple competitions, like the World Championships and the Pan Ams, and all these other competitions leading up we’ve been able to challenge and be near the top in the world," said Warner "We were able to be very successful here in Rio and I imagine going forward to the World Championships next year and Tokyo 2020 that the team is going to continue to grow and have even more confidence. There’s going to be even more young athletes that come out for the next time around. It’s exciting to see the whole journey and I’m excited to be a part of it."

“It’s an awesome feeling. Last year a lot of people didn’t expect us to come up with eight championship medals in the worlds," said De Grasse. "We just wanted to go out there and prove to the world we can compete with the best. Everyone always talks about the U.S., the Jamaicans, and they’re always winning all the medals. We just want to be a part of that conversation.”

And no one is happier to talk about it than Bailey. His reaction inside CBC’s studio to De Grasse’s bronze in the 100 went viral. He’s spoken glowingly about the support the current generation of Canadian athletes receivesand is excited about what the future holds.

When the next Olympics come around, Bailey’s golden moment will have some company on the pre-show package. It’s about time.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr