De Grasse captures 2nd title at Canadian track championships
OTTAWA (CP) — Long after Andre De Grasse had raced to his second victory at the Canadian track and field championships, the sprint star was still posing for pictures and signing autographs.
“I signed someone’s hand. Someone’s neck,” De Grasse laughed. “That was kind of weird when I signed someone’s neck.”
The triple medallist from last summer’s Rio Olympics raced to his first Canadian 200-metre title on Sunday, and second gold medal of the meet, sprinting to a slightly wind-aided time of 19.96 seconds. De Grasse won his third national 100 title on Friday.
The 22-year-old from Markham, Ont., was the headliner this week, and his star power was visible in the crowds that squeezed into the 6,500-seat Terry Fox Stadium. According to an Athletics Canada official, it was the biggest crowd the national meet has ever seen.
“I’m amazed and shocked that so many people want my autograph,” said De Grasse, estimating that number to be “probably hundreds, maybe thousands.”
“It’s a cool feeling for me, I’m just happy to see all the little kids’ faces light up every time I take a picture with them.”
De Grasse had some-60 friends and family members — all dressed in red De Grasse Tshirts — in attendance. They posed for a group photo. The photographer instructed them to “Say ‘De Grasse!”’
Sunday’s 200 was one of the meet’s highlights, featuring Canada’s three fastest sprinters in history in that distance — De Grasse, and Toronto’s Aaron Brown and Brendon Rodney.
Rodney was second in 20.02, while Brown crossed third in 20.13.
De Grasse was pushed by the two around the bend, finally taking the lead down the straightaway. The sprint star said he’s been focusing more on the 100 this season.
“But after today I see my 200 needs a little bit of work if I want to become a gold medallist,” he said.
He has five weeks before the world championships in London, where he’ll face Usain Bolt one final time before the Jamaican superstar retires. Bolt has said he won’t run the 200 at worlds. De Grasse, whose last race before London will be a 200 at a Diamond League meet in Monaco on July 21, said it will take a Canadian-record run from him to have a shot at gold. His national record is the 19.80 he ran to win silver in Rio.