Sprinters Brown, Rodney need to 'give it everything' in Shanghai

Donovan Bailey expects two Canadian sprinters to set personal bests in the 200 metres Saturday in Shanghai.

Relay teammates Aaron Brown and Brendon Rodney will go toe-to-toe in a strong Diamond League men's field at 8:20 a.m. ET in a race that will be streamed live at CBCSports.ca.

• WATCH LIVE: Diamond League Shanghai
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• Brown, Rodney join forces to help Canada win relay gold

"If they don't like to compete against each other they're in the wrong sport," said Bailey, the CBC Sports track analyst and 1996 Olympic 100 champion. "They know each other, they're comfortable with each other, they can drive each other and they should be able to maximize their speed.

"They have to go sub-20 seconds this season because that is still the threshold that separates the also-ran from the medallists and elite sprinters, just like the 10-second barrier in the 100."

Rodney, 25, ran 20.45 on April 8 at the Grenada Invitational in St. Georges (see video below, lane 7), far off his PB of 19.96 established at the 2016 Canadian Olympic trials last July in Edmonton, where the Hamilton native joined Andre De Grasse as the only Canadian men to break the 20-second barrier.

"Watching him at [trials], for the first time I think he [showed] that he belongs [with the best]. I like that he looks comfortable and knows he can run sub-20," Bailey said. "But he has to continue to produce."

Brown, 24, is coming off a 20.53 performance at the Florida Relays. At the Golden Gala Diamond League meet in Rome last June, the Toronto native narrowly missed his PB of 20.00, crossing the line in 20.24 for a second-place finish. He later came 16th at the Rio Olympics.

Bailey said the decision to compete in more Diamond League this year following a strong start to the relay season will prove to be a good move for Brown and Rodney.

"There is a level of comfort and familiarity when you have the same athletes around you that you'll see at major championships," he said. "You get to know their strengths and weaknesses."

The two Canadians will line up against a trio of impressive American sprinters in LaShawn Merritt, Ameer Webb and Noah Lyles, who ran 20.16 at the Florida Relays in late April.

"My advice to [Brown and Rodney] is run out of the blocks, relax going around the turn and on the straightaway give it everything," Bailey said. "Early in the season they have nothing to lose by taking it to the competition. They have to establish themselves right now as world-class professional athletes."

Other Canadian content competing in China:

Derek Drouin, Mike Mason (high jump, 6:35 a.m. ET)

The 27-year-old Drouin, who won high jump gold at the Rio Olympics, has had a successful start to 2017, capturing gold (2.27 metres) at the Millrose Games in February followed by his fourth straight title at the Drake Relays last month. The Sarnia, Ont., native also set a world record for a jump during a decathlon (2.28), an event in which he's aiming to compete at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Saturday's field is probably the toughest Drouin has faced since Rio and includes Olympic silver medallist Mutaz Barshim of Qatar, world silver medallist Zhang Guowei of China and 2012 Olympic silver medallist Erik Kynard of the U.S.

Mason, 30, was second (2.27m) to Drouin at the Drake Relays and matched his teammate at the Millrose Games in New York. His season best is 2.30, set April 15 at the Mt. SAC Relays in Torrance, Calif.

Shawn Barber (pole vault, 6:45 a.m. ET)

The Canadian male pole vault record-holder (5.93m) will attempt to erase a disappointing 2016 season that saw him finish 10th at the Rio Olympics after he tested positive for cocaine at the Canadian championships in July. Barber has a season-best vault of 5.50 this season, set April 1 at the Texas Relays. Barber, who turns 23 on May 27, also made news later in the month when he publicly came out as gay.

Brandon McBride (men's 800m, 7:42 a.m. ET)

McBride, who hails from Windsor, Ont., is making his season debut in Shanghai. The 22-year-old finished sixth in his semifinal at the Rio Olympics and 14th overall in one minute 45.41 seconds. McBride, who was a two-time NCAA 800 champion for Mississippi State University, set a personal best of 1:43.95 at London Diamond League last July.

Diamond League on CBC Sports

CBC Sports is providing live streaming coverage of all 14 Diamond League meets this season at CBCSports.ca and via the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices. TV coverage will be featured as part of the network's Road To The Olympic Games weekend broadcasts throughout the season.

The following is a list of upcoming Diamond League meets on CBCSports.ca and the CBC Sports app:

• Shanghai (Saturday, 7 a.m. ET)
• Eugene (May 27, 4 p.m. ET)
• Rome (June 8, 2 p.m. ET)
• Oslo (June 15, 2 p.m. ET)
• Stockholm (June 18, 2 p.m. ET)
• Paris (July 1, 2 p.m. ET)
• Lausanne (July 6, 2 p.m. ET)
• London (July 9, 9 a.m. ET)
• Rabat (July 16, 2 p.m. ET)
• Monaco (July 21, 2 p.m. ET)
• Birmingham (Aug. 20, 2 p.m. ET)
• Zurich (Aug. 24, 3 p.m. ET)
• Brussels (Sept. 1, 3 p.m. ET)