‘Hey, did we make it in?’ Cameraman tips off Canadian women’s relay team on their shot in the finals

A cameraman got to be the bearer of good news for the Canadian 4x400-metre women's relay team on Thursday.

The Canadian team of Alicia Brown, Sage Watson, Madeline Price and Kyra Constantine secured a spot in the final with a time of 3:24.05. The season-best performance did not land Canada in the automatic top three for qualification, so the team navigated some anxious moments as it waited to learn if it had advanced as one of the two best fastest times that were not automatic.

They were tipped off about their fate before it reached the video board in the stadium.

The cameraman was down there filming us so I think we had an idea, like he was waiting for a reaction," said Sage Watson, who ran the second leg for Canada. Then I looked at him, I pointed, I was like, Hey, did we make it in?"

He nodded in response, Watson said.

I was like, Okay, thank you."

The exchange was shown on the broadcast, though Watson didn't immediately reveal that she had a sense of the result from the cameraman. It took minutes for the Canadians to learn they advanced, news they received with smiles and hugs.

• On hold: The International Olympic Committee paused its investigation into Raven Saunders' recent demonstration on the medals podium, following the unexpected death of the American shot putter's mother.

Clarissa Saunders died on Tuesday, two days after her daughter won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. The cause of Saunders' death is unknown.

Following the medal ceremony, while still on the podium, Raven Saunders made an X' symbol with her raised arms to call attention to oppressed people."

The IOC loosened its ban on demonstrations prior to the Games, allowing athletes to protest on the field of play before their competition. But it maintained that athletes were not allowed to protest on the medal stand. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee defended Saunders, pointing out the demonstration did not occur during the medals ceremony, or while the Chinese anthem played for gold medallist Gong Lijiao.

Saunders, a Black, LGBTQ athlete, previously said, in a reply to a tweet about her gesture: Let them try and take this medal. I'm running across the border even though I can't swim."

In a statement, the IOC extended its condolences to Saunders and said given the circumstances, the process at the moment is fully suspended.

• Part of Swift's Squad: Simone Biles has many famous friends and supporters. She can count singer Taylor Swift among them.

The decorated American gymnast returned to competition earlier this week, after withdrawing from a handful of events citing mental health struggles and the twisties, a dangerous phenomenon when a gymnast loses a sense of where they are in the air.

Swift narrated an NBA promo marking Biles' return, in which she won bronze on the balance beam. The television spot was set to Swift's song This is Me Trying" from her more recent album, Folklore." It touched on the heavy burden of being a hero and praised Biles for her voice and her honesty rivalling her unmatched gymnastic talents.

Biles responded to the video on Twitter, posting: I'm crying ... how special. I love you (Swift)."

Swift responded in kind.

I cried watching YOU," she wrote. I feel so lucky to have gotten to watch you all these years, but this week was a lesson in emotional intelligence and resilience. We all learned from you: thank you."

Biles wrapped up her headline-making Olympics with a post on Instagram on Wednesday.

Not at all how I imagined or dreamed my second olympics would go but blessed to represent the usa," she wrote. I'll forever cherish this unique olympic experience. thanks everyone for the endless love and support. I'm truly grateful."

Biles continued: Leaving Tokyo with 2 more Olympic medals to add to my collection isn't too shabby!"

• Medal ceremony mix up: Tokyo Olympic organizers apologized on Thursday after the Ukrainian synchronized swimming duo of Marta Fiedina and Anastasiya Savchuk were announced on the podium as representing the Russian Olympic Committee.

Fiedina and Savchuk took bronze in the artistic swimming duet competition on Wednesday, while Russian athletes Svetlana Romashina and Svetlana Kolesnichenko won gold. The mix up came in the French language announcement of the medallists.

It was purely an operational mistake,' Olympic organizing committee spokesperson Masa Tanaka said.

The mistake is sensitive because of years-long diplomatic tensions between Ukraine and Russia. During the Games opening ceremony last month, a Russian TV network cut to commercials just before the Ukrainian athletes entered behind their national flag. The broadcaster returned after the Ukraine team had passed.

• On the mend: American BMX rider Connor Fields was released from a hospital in Tokyo on Thursday, after suffering a brain bleed, broken ribs and a collapsed lung during a crash in his semifinal race five days prior.

The crash saw Fields, 28, land hard on a jump into the first turn, and he was also hit at a high speed by two other riders. He remained motionless while the race concluded.

Fields will return to his home in Henderson, Nevada, in the coming days to begin his rehabilitation, according to a statement from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jonathan Finnoff.

His mother Lisa Fields told the Associated Press she is overjoyed with the news that he is booked on a flight home.

A few of us have been able to see and speak with Connor on FaceTime and I am relieved to hear his voice, witness him move around and see that his sense of humour and strength are still intact," she said. His sly smile says more than any scan, yet those are looking good, too."

With files from the Associated Press

Laura Armstrong is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @lauraarmy