Andre De Grasse might’ve had a disappointing start to his Paris Olympics campaign, but it’s not over yet.
And, if De Grasse has anything to say about it, this week might not be his last time representing Canada on the world’s biggest stage.
In the 100m semifinal on Sunday in Paris, De Grasse finished fifth, clocking in a time of 9.98 seconds. It was the fastest time he’d run in 2024, but wasn’t enough to make it through to the final. After winning bronze at both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games in the 100m, it was the first time in seven Olympic events that De Grasse had failed to make it to an Olympic final.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet, to be honest,” De Grasse said following the race, as per Canadian Running. “It’s a tough one not to be able to be in that final and contending for another medal. I definitely feel like if I’d got through this round, a lot can change in the final. I mean, people get tired. I felt like my endurance and my stamina was there, so I definitely feel like I had a shot to get on there. But you can’t dwell on it.”
Andre De Grasse 🇨🇦 on not reaching the 100m at the Olympics for the first time in his career:
“It hasn’t sunk in yet, it’s a tough not to be in that final contending for another medal. I thought I had a chance if I got into the final…the endurance and stamina were there.” pic.twitter.com/l4e0PvxjMB
— Canadian Running (@CanadianRunning) August 4, 2024
De Grasse’s personal best in the 100 m is 9.89, set in Tokyo en route to the bronze medal. Sunday’s final saw seven runners eclipse that mark, with Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson in a virtual tie for first, with both runners coming up at 9.79. Though it was impossible to tell by the naked eye, Lyles won the race by five-thousandths of a second.
In a sport where margins are literally in the blink of an eye, some might think that De Grasse has lost a step after years of being among the sport’s top competitors. For reference, Usain Bolt’s last Olympics — after three Games where he won eight gold medals (and one additional one that was eventually vacated due to a teammate doping) — came at age 29, the same age De Grasse is now.
But while he’ll be 33 by the time the Los Angeles Summer Olympics roll around in 2028, De Grasse isn’t planning on hanging up his cleats just yet, should he reach the qualifying standard in four years time.
“The Canadian record [in the 100m] is on my mind – 9.84 – of course. That’s always something that’s been dear to me. I mean, even when I came into the sport, I always wanted to be the 100-meter champ before the 200-meter champ. I just wasn’t able to show it today, but I think I’ll be back. I mean, I think I got another Olympics in me still. I feel pretty good. I’m healthy, so I’ll just go from there,” De Grasse added, as per Postmedia’s Andrea Hill.
De Grasse kicks off his defence of the 200m gold medal from Tokyo later today, running in the fifth heat. He’s scheduled to race at 2:30 pm ET/11:30 am PT.
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