At five-foot-nine and 154 pounds, Andre De Grasse lined up against Usain Bolt Sunday night for the 100-metre final looking as if he belonged in the Junior Olympics. De Grasse’s times have steadily improved and there looks to be a lot more ahead for the Canadian who finished a tenth of a second behind the fastest man on the planet.
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Now many people are saying the baton has been passed.
Usaine Bolt of Jamaica won the gold and became the first man to win the 100 metre final three times at the Olympics.
Speaking of his win, De Grasse said “I’m speechless, they’re probably jumping up and down screaming back home in Canada”.
Meanwhile, it’s “Andre De Grasse Day” in Markham, Ontario, today.
Bolt’s best time this year is 9.88 seconds in a race in Jamaica. In the suburb of Toronto.
Running was not De Grasse’s original ambition.
“I can’t believe that was four years ago and now I’m on the podium with these guys”, he said, referring to Bolt and Gatlin. His talent was discovered in basketball shoes as he was shooting hoops, eager to become a basketball player. The first Canadian to do it was Donovan Bailey, who won the gold medal in at the 1996 Olympics.
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His grade 5 teacher must have seen the future, however, as she presented Andre De Grasse a framed photo of himself, in a track event at that age.
