Ontario sprinter De Grasse tearing up U.S. college turf
Andre De Grasse is a sprinter, a natural so outlandishly gifted he whipped the best U.S. collegians at 100 and 200 metres this season and, at 20 years old, ran the fastest times at both distances in Canadian history.
So rapid has his rise been, his coaches are scrambling to map out a measured career path for De Grasse, to ensure the Markham, Ont., native polishes his ragged technique to fully harness his “phenomenal” talent.
That talent will be on display in Edmonton from July 2-5 at the Canadian Track and Field Championships, as De Grasse preps for the Pan American Games in Toronto from July 10-26, and the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, which go from Aug. 22-30 in Beijing.
De Grasse, laid-back and softspoken, believes he’s capable of competing with the likes of U.S. sprinters Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay, and Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, Olympic champion at both short sprints at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Games.
His brief, but powerful resume supports that.
De Grasse, a junior at the University of Southern California, won the sprint double last weekend, taking the 100- and 200metre titles at the NCAA championships, held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. He ran the 100 metres in 9.75 seconds and won the 200 in 19.58. Both times were wind-aided, meaning the tailwind exceeded the permissible limit of 2.0 metres per second. So, neither time qualifies for any record book.
Not surprisingly, on Wednesday, De Grasse was named the NCAA male track athlete of the year.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” De Grasse said on a conference call Thursday. “My phone is still blowing up to this day.
To put De Grasse’s blistering 9.75 in context, Ben Johnson blew away the 100-metre field at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, in 9.79. Before this season, no Canadian male had run a sub 10-second 100 metres since Bruny Surin ran 9.84 to finish second at the 1999 World Championships.
De Grasse is a mere pup in his relatively new-found sport, and a precocious one, at that.
No wonder agents have been pestering his handlers, trying to convince De Grasse to forgo his final year at USC and turn pro immediately. His coaches believe another year at USC, building his training base, honing all aspects of his craft, would greatly benefit De Grasse. But the ultimate decision is his.
All of which is stunning when you consider it was just a little more than three years ago, in his final year at Milliken Mills High School, De Grasse lined up for a 100-metre race at the suggestion of a friend.
De Grasse acknowledged he is far from technically flawless. He needs to bend his arms when he runs, for one thing. The first 30 metres of his race, from his start through acceleration to top speed, needs plenty of work.
“I don’t have (any) pressure in this sport,” De Grasse said. “I’m just having fun.”