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Rio 2016: Canadian relay team keeps medal as U.S. loses appeal

Canada's Andre De Grasse, left to right, Brendon Rodney and Aaron Brown watch the scoreboard following the men's 4x100-metre relay final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Friday, August 19, 2016.
Canada's Andre De Grasse, left to right, Brendon Rodney and Aaron Brown watch the scoreboard following the men's 4x100-metre relay final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Friday, August 19, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

An appeal launched by the United States following the men’s 4x100m relay final on Friday night has been rejected by officials in Rio, ensuring the Canadian team will keep its bronze medal.

The official Twitter account of Athletics Canada re-tweeted the news early Saturday morning.

At around 2:45 p.m. ET, the U.S. track and field team confirmed the ruling.

The United States was disqualified for illegally exchanging the baton outside the zone during the first pass of the race.

WATCH: Usain Bolt claims his ninth Olympic gold medal as Jamaica wins the men’s 4×100 metre relay in Rio. Reuters’ Natasha Howitt reports.
Click to play video: 'Bolt seals triple-triple gold medals at 2016 Rio Olympics'
Bolt seals triple-triple gold medals at 2016 Rio Olympics

READ MORE: Canada’s Evan Dunfee comes in fourth, then gets bronze, then fourth again in race walk

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The bronze in the 4×100-metre gives Canada its 21st medal at the Rio Olympics. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted his congratulations to the team on Saturday morning.

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