SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Olympic sprinter Akeem Haynes showed trademark Canadian modesty when talking about the 4x100 metre relay Friday, even though he was part of the team that obliterated a 20-year-old Canadian record and ended up taking home a bronze medal from the Rio Olympics.

Former Weledeh Catholic School student Akeem Haynes competes in round one of the men's 4x100 metre relay last Thursday at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. - photo courtesy of the Canadian Olympic Committee

"We were a little disappointed because we didn't come away with a medal ... at the beginning," Haynes told the Yellowknifer Monday.

"Obviously we were happy we broke the Canadian record - it's been around for 20 years. But at the same time, at a major championships like the Olympics, you want to come away with a medal."

When the U.S. team was disqualified for passing the baton outside the exchange zone minutes after the race, everything changed for team Canada.

"We crossed the line and we were still trying to take it in, you know, what just happened in the race," he recalled.

When the sprinters discovered they had actually won bronze, surprise rippled through the four athletes, which included Haynes, Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney and Andre De Grasse..

Haynes exclaimed, "That's crazy!" to a reporter in Rio on live television after the race when he learned his team had actually taken bronze.

"Hey, I'm so proud of these guys, man, that's all I can say," he continued.

The team posted a time of 37.64 seconds, which set a new Canadian record.

During the relay, Haynes was focused on helping his teammates succeed.

"It's more or less trying not to let down the other guy. So I was just trying to get a lead for my teammates. I didn't run it any differently. I was just making sure I got the baton to the next guy and we just got to stick around," he said.

In his first competition, the 100-metre sprint, Haynes expressed disappointment with his performance because he felt he tried too hard, throwing off his game. But in the men's relay, he was on point.

"I tried to relax a little more in the relay runs," he said.

In the relay, Haynes ran with teammate Andre De Grasse, who breezed into bronze and silver medals in the men's 100- and 200-metre sprints, respectively, up against the fastest man alive, Usain Bolt of Jamaica.

De Grasse is now considered one of Canada's newest and brightest Olympic athletes, but to Haynes, De Grasse is just a regular guy.

"I don't really see him as anybody else but just another guy who we train with," said Haynes. "We have a whole bunch of talented sprinters, so, you know, we're all on this level."

With the 2016 Rio Olympics over, Haynes is the fastest starter in Canada.

'Rio a golden moment'

When asked how he feels about the achievement, he laughed.

"I don't really pay too much attention to the scientific stuff of all that. But, I guess, the title, I am happy to have," he said.

"I think if you see too much in the stats, you might get ahead of yourself too much. I just try to execute the best race I can and see what happens."

Haynes said he saw Rio as a golden moment for Canadian track and field.

"You know this was probably the best team we've had in Canadian track and field. We had a whole bunch of good finishes across the board. We came away with seven or eight medals, which is the most we've had in quite some time," he said.

While Haynes said he hasn't planned out his track and field future too much beyond Rio, he definitely has plans to visit his mom, Carlene Smith, who lives in Yellowknife.

"(I'll) take it day-by-day. I'm going to go home, and relax, and take my mind off track for a little bit and re-evaluate and go from there and see what's next," he said.

Haynes currently lives and trains in Phoenix, Arizona.

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