Andre De Grasse has won gold in the men’s 200-metre final at the Tokyo Olympics, marking the first time a Canadian has won the event since 1928 and just the third time ever.
With a personal best and Canadian record, De Grasse crossed the line in 19.62 seconds.
GOLD FOR DE GRASSE
Canada's Andre De Grasse wins GOLD in the 200m
This is the first time a Canadian has won the event since 1928 pic.twitter.com/RH8unC535q
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) August 4, 2021
“I’ll see you soon,” De Grasse told his family, his partner, Nia Ali, and kids in the virtual athlete zone after the race. “I love you guys. I’ll Facetime you later. I can’t believe it. Oh my god. I did it.â€
"Love you, have a good day!" – Andre De Grasse, to his family, after he just became an Olympic champion pic.twitter.com/Uis9HQFnDU
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) August 4, 2021
This is De Grasse’s second medal in Tokyo after winning bronze in the men’s 100 metres. The Scarborough, Ont., native previously won silver in the 200-metre race at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Canadian Aaron Brown also finished in sixth with a time of 20.20.
De Grasse cruised to a Canadian record time of 19.73 in the semifinals to qualify for the medal round. He is now a five-time Olympic medalist.
Brown ran a 19.19 to win his semifinal heat, beating out Joseph Fahnbulleh of Libera and Noah Lyles of the United States in a photo finish.
