RIO DE JANEIRO -- Canada's relay foursome mugged for the camera during Friday night's flashy pre-race introductions.
They crossed their arms in an X that signified "Game changes. Crossing people off the list. Getting the job done," said Brendon Rodney.
They emphatically zipped up their racing suits, which translated to: "Suit and tie. Button it up. Business," Aaron Brown said.
Then the precocious Canadians went to work in the 4x100 metres, racing to a bronze medal, a Canadian record, and an incredible third medal for Andre De Grasse in his Olympic debut.
The Canadians looked like they'd have to settle for fourth in the confusion and post-race drama that inevitably follows a relay. But the United States was disqualified for an illegal baton exchange.
"When we came fourth, it was a little bit disappointing," De Grasse said, of the roller-coaster few minutes. "When we got the upgrade to bronze, that cheered our spirits up and we started smiling, and saying 'Thank God that it happened."'
The 21-year-old from Markham, Ont., teamed with Akeem Haynes of Calgary, Rodney of Brampton, Ont., and Toronto's Brown to cross in 37.64 seconds, smashing -- finally -- the mark of 37.69 set by the gold-medal winning team anchored by Donovan Bailey at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
De Grasse added bronze to the silver medal he won in the men's 200 metres a night earlier, and a bronze in the marquee 100 metres in Rio.
Phil Edwards and Alex Wilson were the last Canadians to win three track medals at one Olympics at the 1932 Los Angeles Games.
"Wow, I don't even think I knew that," De Grasse said. "Definitely feels good, I'm proud of those guys, to come away with another Olympic medal, they helped me accomplish that. We came away with a Canadian record, I'm very delighted."
De Grasse was only a year old when Robert Esmie, with the word "Blastoff" shaved into his hair, Glenroy Gilbert, Bruny Surin and Bailey ran to Olympic gold in the Canadian record of 37.69 that would stand until Friday.
This young group had that mark on their minds for awhile.
"Of course," Brown said with a grin. "Glenroy's our coach, and he's the one that ran it. We've been wanting to break it, and there's no better place to break it than the Olympics, and it's the 20-year anniversary and it's about time we take that off.
"Those guys are old, it's a new wave of sprinters. The future is here."
Jamaica crossed first in 37.27 seconds, giving superstar Usain Bolt the triple-triple -- three golds in each of three Olympics. Japan was second in 37.60.
It was the sixth medal for a Canadian track and field team that won just one -- Derek Drouin's high jump bronze -- four years ago in London.
De Grasse ran a blistering anchor leg, gobbling up ground on the field.
"I think I just needed one more metre (to catch Japan and the U.S.), just one more metre," De he said. "I think my legs were just a little bit fatigued from running the rounds in the 100 and 200.
"And I probably only had 97 or 98 metres in that race (the anchor leg is the shortest of the four), and those two metres could have made the difference between a fourth-place finish and a silver medal."
The uncertain few minutes after the race also robbed the Canadians of a victory lap.
"We definitely wish we could have had a victory lap, we don't even know where the flags were," De Grasse said. "But again, we didn't want to do the victory lap because we were waiting to see if it actually came true."
"For the athletes, definitely, I know that lap and the ability to go around the track with your flag is a good one," added Gilbert, Canada's relay coach. "But I think a spot on the podium, they can relish that even more."
Relays are rarely without drama, and the bronze was sweet redemption coming four years after the London Olympics, where the Canadians went from elated to inconsolable in the span of a few minutes. They were celebrating bronze when they were disqualified; Jared Connaughton had stepped on the line.
"It's always a level of stress that you endure because it's a lot of checks and balances, when you go around the track with these guys," Gilbert said. "But it feels good, a long journey back here."
Canada has had relay glory snatched out of its hands a few times, in fact. The team was disqualified at both the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2015 relay championships. They celebrated victory at last summer's Pan American Games in Toronto before an official ruled Gavin Smellie had stepped on the line. That disqualification spoiled what would have been a triple gold-medal Games for De Grasse.
The Canadians did catch a break at the 2015 IAAF World Championships, however, winning bronze when the Americans were again disqualified for an illegal baton change.
Running without De Grasse in Thursday's heats, the Canadians blazed through to the final in a time of 37.89 -- second fastest in Canadian history. Mobolade Ajomale ran the anchor leg before stepping aside for De Grasse for Friday's final.
Canada's only other relay medal was bronze in 1984 in Los Angeles.
Earlier Friday, Evan Dunfee of Richmond, B.C., rode a roller-coaster of emotions, going from fourth to bronze back to fourth in a couple of hours after a gutsy 50-kilometre race walk. Dunfee finished fourth before Japanese runner Hirooki Arai was disqualified for bumping the Canadian on the final lap of the race. Japan protested and won, bumping Dunfee back to bronze.
Kelsie Ahbe of Toronto cleared 4.50 metres in pole vault to finish 12th.
Carline Muir of Toronto, Alicia Brown of Ottawa, Noelle Montcalm of Belle River, Ont., and Sage Watson of Medicine Hat, Alta., became Canada's first women's 4x400 relay to qualify for the final since 1992.
Farah Jacques of Gatineau, Que., Toronto's Crystal Emmanuel, Phylicia George of Markham, Ont., and Khamica Bingham of Brampton, Ont., finished seventh in the women's 4x100 relay in 43.15.
