De Grasse injury a blow to Team Canada
World medals. One last shot at Usain Bolt. Perhaps a Canadian record.
A world track and field championships that held so much promise for Andre De Grasse went up in smoke during a light 60-metre run Monday night.
On the eve of the opening round of the 100 metres, De Grasse’s coach, Stuart McMillan, talked about the opportunities lost.
“I think when (the meet) actually gets going and Andre sees the final and sees those eight guys lining up and he’s not one of them, I think that’s when it’s really going to hit home,” McMillan said Thursday.
But as much as the star sprinter’s withdrawal from the meet with a hamstring injury means personal heartbreak for the 22-year-old from Markham, Ont., it’s also a big blow to a Canadian team that saw De Grasse win three of its six medals at the Rio Olympics. It’s also a blow for fans back home.
“There’s two stories here: it’s Bolt’s last major championships, and then from a Canadian perspective, this was the opportunity for a Canadian boy to go out there and race him and potentially beat him in his last race,” McMillan said.
“So I think it’s going to be very disappointing for everybody — nobody more so than Andre.”
De Grasse was undefeated in the 100 and 200 in his last four Diamond League meets. His sizzling, albeit wind-aided, 9.69 seconds in the 100 metres in Stockholm hinted the Canadian record of 9.84, set by Donovan Bailey in 1996 and tied by Bruny Surin in 1999, might not be long for this world.
“We definitely didn’t see anything coming,” McMillan said of the injury. “We had a really good camp in Monaco, went to Spain for a couple of days, we had a good relay session in Spain, we came here on Sunday, went to (Mile End Stadium) here in London on Monday, did four or five block starts, looked very good, everything was really nice, finished off with two very easy 60s, and in the first 60 at 40 metres he pulled up.”
They originally suspected the injury might just be cramping or tightness, but an ultrasound Tuesday showed a tear. His sponsor, Puma, then flew De Grasse to Munich to meet with Dr. Muller Wolfhart, who made the final diagnosis. De Grasse’s recovery is expected to take five to six weeks.
There had been plenty of hype about a Bolt-De Grasse showdown at the world championships, which McMillan said has been wearing on the young Canadian sprinter.
“(But) in retrospect in a few weeks, when he looks back on this, this was his last opportunity to beat Bolt, I think that’s probably going to be the thing that haunts him the most,” McMillan said.
De Grasse had a strong shot at gold in the 200 metres, and Canada’s 4x100-metre relay team, which De Grasse anchored to bronze at the Olympics, also took a huge hit with his withdrawal.