De Grasse wins third straight national 100-metre title, but isn’t happy
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OTTAWA — Canadian sprint star Andre De Grasse was banking on a fast time in his final 100-metre race before next month’s world championships.
The triple medallist from last summer’s Rio Olympics won his third consecutive 100 title at the Canadian track and field championships on Friday, crossing in 10.11 seconds.
But in the moments after the victory, De Grasse admitted disappointment in his time — both for the Ottawa fans who squeezed into the grandstand at Terry Fox Stadium, and because it was his final 100 before his showdown with Jamaican superstar Usain Bolt next month in London.
“This is the last one, so that’s why I wanted to try to put down a time,” De Grasse said.
“I couldn’t tell you exactly what happened. Ran the semis, felt pretty good, shut it down. And the finals. … I don’t know what happened, I thought I was ready to run a fast time and a little disappointed I couldn’t give the crowd what they wanted.”
Brendon Rodney of Toronto was second in 10.18, while Gavin Smellie of Brampton, Ont., crossed third in 10.23.
De Grasse, a 22-year-old from Markham, Ont., had cruised to an easy win in his semifinal earlier in the night, coasting across the line in 10.13 on a track still slick from a thunderstorm that rolled through the city.
The Canadian 100-metre record of 9.84 is coheld by Donovan Bailey and Bruny Surin.
Agnes Esser of McBride threw 50.95 metres to win the women’s discus. Christabel Netty of Surrey won the women’s long jump with a jump of 6.23 metres. Liz Gleadle of Vancouver threw 60.62 metres to win the javelin. Jordan Young of Windsor, Ont., threw 62.76 to win the men’s discus, and Damian Warner of London, Ont., jumped 7.53 metres to win the men’s long jump.