On the final day of the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games, the Canadian women’s 4x400m relay ended the meet on a high note. At Bochum, Germany’s Lohrheidestadion, the quartet of U Sports athletes Paige Willems (University of Saskatchewan), Tyra Boug (Western University), Georgia Oland (University of Calgary) and Favour Okpali (Western University) raced to bronze in 3:34.16– Canada’s 11th and final medal of the Games.
Germany took gold in 3:29.68, with Poland second in 3:30.21.
None of the Canadians came in with fresh legs; all four juggled multiple events throughout the week. Willems advanced the 400m semi-finals and ran a leg of the mixed 4x400m relay, while Boug nacre just shy of the 100m hurdles semi-final. Oland, a late addition to the relay pool, had already competed in the 100m, 4x100m relay and 200m heats and semi-finals. Okpali, who anchored both the heats and final, also qualified for the 400m final in 52.84–the second-fastest time of her career. She went on to place eighth overall.
A different lineup–featuring Shelby MacIsaac of the University of New Brunswick in place of Oland– had secured the team’s spot in the final with a 3:35.15 win in their first-round heat on Saturday. The Canadian men’s 4x400m quad also advanced to their final, where they placed sixth.
The bronze marks Canada’s second athletics medal of the Games. On Friday, 21-year-old pole vaulter Rachel Grenke of the University of Alberta soared to bronze with a final attempt of 4.35 metres–a lifetime best and the fifth-ranked mark in Canada this year.
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