Andre De Grasse is a Canadian sprinter who has been one of the most solid and consistent performers in Olympic history. The quick Canadian has won a medal in every Olympic and World Championship final that he has competed in. When Andre De Grasse arrives on the big stage, he never leaves without a medal. In this post, we will find out more about Andre De Grasse. Let’s get started.

Andre De Grasse: All You Need To Know

When was Andre De Grasse born?

Andre De Grasse was born on November 10, 1994 in the Scarborough suburb of Toronto. He was born into a family of immigrants. Andre De Grasse’s father moved to Canada from Barbados and his mother moved from Trinidad and Tobago where she was a high school sprinter as well. 

How did Andre De Grasse become a sprinter?

Andre De Grasse used to play basketball in school. He even played against future NBA Champion Andrew Wiggins at one point in time. He was pretty fast on the court so he decided to participate in a race. He borrowed spikes from a friend and wore basketball shorts to the race. He didn’t even use starting blocks and did a standing start. However, he still managed to come second in the race with a time of 10.91 in the 100 metres race. He also finished third in the 200 metres race and 7th in the Long Jump. His exploits didn’t go unnoticed and his future coach Tony Sharpe noticed the young athlete at the meet. At Sharpe’s behest, Andre De Grasse joined the Speed Academy at Pickering. He performed well in local events and eventually joined the track team at the University of Southern California (USC) where he won the PAC-12 championship with an incredible time of 9.97 in 2015.

When did Andre De Grasse become a recognized force in sprinting?

During the NCAA Championships, Andre De Grasse won both the 100 and 200 metre events against favourite Baylor’s Trayvon Bromwell. He posted incredible (wind aided) times of 9.75 and 19.58 on the way to his victories. After the race, he received a lot of encouragement from his friends and coaches and decided to pursue Olympic goals. Andre De Grasse said: “So I ask myself…world champion? Olympic champion? Why not me? I’ve come this far, and I’ve only scratched the surface. I want to keep it going. Track is fun to me, and as long as it stays this way, I expect to keep getting better.”

What did Usain Bolt say about Andre De Grasse?

When asked about Andre De Grasse, Usain Bolt had this to say: “He runs like me.”

During Bolt’s reign, very few racers offered any opposition. But the emergence of Canadian Andre De Grasse put some kind of pressure on him.

It’s hard to say if this is a real rivalry. De Grasse had never beaten Bolt since the start of his young career. But there was a mutual respect that could be detected by the entire planet at the Rio Games, where De Grasse took bronze in the 100m and silver in the 200m.

The two men captivated fans with their brotherly love. Their display of affection on the track and Bolt naming De Grasse as his possible successor became one of the most important stories of the Olympics in Canada.

“He’ll be good,” Bolt said. He runs like me. He’s really slow out of the blocks, but when he’s on, he’s on.

Bolt planned to retire after the 100m and 4x100m. He did not run the 200m. De Grasse therefore did not hesitate to say that he wanted to take the title away from the Jamaican.

“I want to beat him before he retires, Usain is quite an athlete. And to be considered one of the best, I have to beat him. It’s his last World Championships and it will be difficult. But I have to try and spoil his party,” De Grasse said.

De Grasse has clocked some impressive times, including a time of 9.69s. But even so, Bolt argued that De Grasse must contain his enthusiasm.

“I always tell my young athletes at the Racers Track Club in Jamaica, ‘Look, when you’re going up a ladder, you have to take your time and work your way to the top.’ So all I have to say to De Grasse is to take your time and work until you reach the top,” Bolt said.

Even though Bolt was at the end of his career, several athletics experts said that it was going to be very difficult to dethrone him in his farewell event.

Why was Andre De Grasse tipped to dethrone Usain Bolt?

Canadian sprint coach Kevin Tyler, who directed De Grasse’s training at ALTIS, said this about Usain Bolt’s body: “He has an incredibly unique body type. At 6’5″ (1.96m), he’s probably the first person that tall to have a nervous system that allows him to move with such speed and explosion.”

“It’s the combination of these two elements, speed and explosion, that are deadly. While the end of his career is imminent, we see other competitors approaching. But at its peak, no one came close.

That being said, Tyler predicted that De Grasse will without a shadow of a doubt soon be the holder of the title of fastest man on the planet. “He’s not fat, not the type of guy you’ll see in the gym lifting heavy weights, but he’s got a really good nervous system that allows him to use a lot of force in a short amount of time,” Tyler said.

Anson Henry agreed. He believed that we hadn’t seen anything of Andre De Grasse’s physical skills yet.

“It’s funny. Andre’s start is horrible, but his top speed is barely less than or even equal to Bolt’s. So if he can successfully get out of blocks with power, his stride will automatically be longer and his top speed will be faster. The fact that he is so young makes us believe that there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Tyler believes De Grasse’s biggest advantage is that he’s relatively new to athletics, both physically and mentally.

“I think Andre’s window could be as big as Bolt’s,” Tyler said. He started his career quite late in high school. He went to college for two years where his training mode was very intense. He spent a year at university, where he started to prepare more like a professional athlete and then had a year with us here. So it’s only been a few years that he’s been training at a very high level. He’s young and he’s never really had any major injuries.”

Who is Andre De Grasse’s sponsor?

After his stellar performances on the track, Andre De Grasse was signed by Puma for $11.25 million. However, in his typical humble manner, Andre De Grasse still continued to drive his Honda Accord.

When did Andre De Grasse win his first Olympic Gold?

Andre De Grasse finally won his dream Olympic Gold medal during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021). Andre De Grasse broke the Canadian record in the process.