De Grasse vows to bounce back

TORONTO Instead of battling Usain Bolt one final time, Andre De Grasse spent the world track and field championships playing tourist in London.

The 22-year-old attended the Arsenal-Chelsea soccer game at Wembley Stadium. He toured the London and Tower bridges. He caught a couple of movies — “War for the Planet of the Apes,” and “Girls Trip.”

“It was the first time I actually got to do something in a city, because I’m always focused on track, and I never get a chance to really go out and see things, so it was my first time actually doing that at a championship,” he said. “I just tried to be happy, be positive, and find other things to do.”

And he watched the dramatic 100-metre final from his hotel room, and couldn’t help but think: what if?

De Grasse, who enjoyed a meteoric rise up the sprint ranks before suffering his first significant injury, is back home in Toronto for rehabilitation on his torn hamstring and said he’s firmly resolved to come back better than ever.

“I guess everything happens for a reason,” said De Grasse. “You could say it was a humbling experience for me, just looking back and saying I accomplished a lot in the last couple of years. I wasn’t too upset with myself to say ‘Hey I missed an important chapter in my career,’ because I know there’s going to be more championships.”