De Grasse’s plans go off-track because of injury
Andre De Grasse’s withdrawal from the world track and field championships isn’t only a blow for the young sprinter, but to Canadian fans, says his coach. The 22-year-old from Markham, Ont., was preparing to race superstar sprinter Usain Bolt one last time in the world 100 metres, and was a solid shot to capture gold in the 200 metres. But none of that will happen now.
World medals. One last shot at Usain Bolt. Perhaps a Canadian record.
A world championships that had held so much promise for Andre De Grasse went up in smoke during a light 60-metre run on Monday night.
And 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 a big blow to a Canadian team that saw De Grasse win three of its six medals at the Rio Olympics, and for fans back home as well.
“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.
“So I think it’s going to be very disappointing for everybody — nobody more so than Andre.”
All signs pointed to a solid world championships for De Grasse. He 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’d originally suspected the injury might just be cramping or tightness, but an ultrasound Tuesday showed a tear. De Grasse’s recovery is expected to take five to six weeks.
There had been plenty of hype about a Bolt versus 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.
In one of Rio’s most memorable moments, De Grasse pushed Bolt in their 200-metre semifinal, prompting a finger wag from the Jamaican superstar, who’ll retire after the world championships. Bolt hasn’t forgotten that race. When asked earlier this week to predict the world’s next great sprinter, Bolt said “The last guy I said was going to be great disrespected me.”
General consensus was he was referring to De Grasse.
Looking long-term, Mcmillan believes the injury will be just a small blip on De Grasse’s career.