De Grasse chases down bronze in 100m final
Usain Bolt's nicked hamstring was strong enough to carry him across the finish line for a third straight Olympic gold, but Canada's Andre De Grasse was also able to do something spectacular - just as he predicted.
The upstart sprinter crossed the line Sunday with a personal-best 9.91 to capture bronze, and his country's first medal in the 100m at the Olympics since Donovan Bailey set a world record in Atlanta 1996.
De Grasse had a tough start in Lane 7, but the 21-year-old poked his head in front of Ben Youssef Meite, Akani Simbine, and Yohan Blake with his closing strides, nearly getting to the line ahead of silver medalist Justin Gatlin.
He broke the threshold seven hundredths of a second shy of Bailey's Canadian record.
De Grasse made headlines after qualifying with his unafraid comments about Bolt - and the strength of his hamstring - suggesting it was his time to dethrone the Jamaican legend. That fearlessness, however, didn't translate into friction in the lanes. Rather, the two sprinters were nothing if not cordial on the track, with Bolt showing support, often even encouraging the young Canadian, before and after the race.
"(Bolt) feels like I'm the next one," De Grasse told CBC's Scott Oake in his post-race interview. "I'm just trying to live up to it."
Photos courtesy Action Images