Andre De Grasse

thumb|De Grasse at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon Andre De Grasse (born 10 November 1994) is a Canadian sprinter. A seven-time Olympic medallist, De Grasse is the 2020 Olympic champion in the 200 m and also won the silver in the 200 m in 2016. He won a second silver in the 4 × 100 relay in 2020. He also has three Olympic bronze medals, placing third in the 100 m at both the 2016 and 2020 Games, and also in the 4 × 100 m relay in 2016. De Grasse won his second Olympic gold medal as a part of the 4 × 100 m relay team at the 2024 Summer Olympics. The win tied him with swimmer Penny Oleksiak as Canada's most decorated Olympians of all time. Quotes I’m a little bit disappointed, I think I could have ran a little bit faster,(In the semifinals) I ran a personal best, having fun. He was just saying it was unnecessary, He told me, ‘You’re going to learn from that, you’re young’—and I guess I did pay for it (in the final). I felt like I had a great shot (at gold), I’m not sure if I used up too much energy yesterday and didn’t have anything left today. I love competing against (Bolt); it’s an honour to be part of history with him and what he’s accomplished, But overall, you know, if his time is up, then I guess a new person has to come in there. Just have fun and don’t take it too seriously, I got a silver medal having fun. (Young athletes) can do the exact same thing if they just continue to work hard and have fun. Always have fun and do what you love. “You’re going to learn from that, you’re young,” Bolt’s advice to De Grasse rings true, August 19 2016 I don’t really think about beating him, I came third in the 100m at the Rio Olympics, so of course I have to go through (Justin) Gatlin and the rest of the guys in the field. If I can do that and execute my race, I can go out there and win. I don’t know what time to expect, but it has to be fast. That’s for the fans to think about, for you guys (sports journalists) to talk about. But for me, I can’t be cocky and say I’m going to be one of the best. I haven’t won an Olympic gold medal, I haven’t won a World Championship gold medal, so I can’t say I’m going to be the next star. I have to go out there and prove it. It’s always good to talk to Bolt, see what he’s up to and how he manages his schedule. I need to be prepared. He’s a multiple Olympic champion, and that’s somewhere I want to be some day. When the best in the world is telling you that you could be one of the best, it gives you a lot of confidence. Whatever he says, it’s like icing on the cake. I just try to go out there and prove to myself and prove to everybody that I belong and I could be one of the best. That’s weird. It’s his best event, so I don’t know why he would not run it. It’s the adrenaline, the atmosphere, Training is quiet so it’s hard to stay motivated all the time. But when you get into the stadium, everything clicks. You’re ready. You know you’ve worked for this moment, and you want to go out there and prove that you belong and you’re the best. This year, though, I’m starting to step up my training a bit more and take it a little more seriously. I don’t want to set limits on myself, Before I ran that 9.75, I just said I want to go out there and win. I know if I can go out there and win and I feel good on that day, anything’s possible. I always want to run faster. The first thing on my mind is breaking the Canadian record of 9.84 set by Donovan (Bailey) and Bruny (Surin), And from there, another personal best, or even breaking the world record. Game on as De Grasse plans to dethrone Bolt, WORLD OLYMPICS, June 13 2017 I’m not that kid anymore. I feel like I’m more busy now, When I first got into the sport, I was just focused on track. Now, I’ve gotta balance a lot more things, whether it’s fatherhood or sponsors or doing commercials and PR and all those other things. I’m just trying to balance my life in that way. I have more obligation, more responsibility. Andre De Grasse on Toronto Rap, Harry Potter, and the Quest for Olympic Gold, July 22 2021 I asked him where he was headed, He said he was headed up to the track at our local university for practice. He was getting ready for a competition. He said, ‘I don’t remember you being very fast. You’re probably not that fast.’ So, we went back and forth a bit. Hey, why don’t you come out and prove how fast you are? I saw people with spikes, track attire, everything. I didn’t let that bother me. [Mikhile] was in shock, He was surprised. I was even surprised at myself. People were asking me, ‘You don’t even run track, how’d you do that? I took him up on it, At that point, I was just going with the flow. I wasn’t even thinking about the Olympics. But my coach had big aspirations for me. He thought I could be something special. He said, ‘I think you can get a scholarship to a big school. I think you can go to the Olympics one day.’ And now, here I am today. At my first Games, I had high aspirations to come back with three Olympic medals, and I did that, Then in Tokyo, I said, ‘Let’s upgrade these medals and get gold.’ I was able to do that. So for Paris, I have to think a little bit bigger. I want to come away with another gold, or two golds. Now, I need to perform at my best when it matters. Andre De Grasse just wanted to ball before becoming an Olympic champion, July 08 2024 External links Category:Sportspeople from Canada Category:Track and field athletes Category:1994 births Category:Living people Category:Olympic gold medalists