Canadian track star Andre De Grasse enjoying reception after latest Olympic medal

Andre De Grasse is enjoying the precocious of being a golden medallist erstwhile again.

The 29-year-old from Markham, Ont., capped disconnected an adversity-filled Olympics successful August by anchoring Canada’s men’s 4×100-metre relay squad to gold, a archetypal for Canada since 1996. De Grasse has been successful Toronto the past mates of weeks for the Toronto International Film Festival and respective different commitments.

“Just feeling the love,” helium said. “Enjoying the ride, enjoying the highs and conscionable having amusive successful the process. It’s a surreal moment.”

The Paris relay medal was De Grasse’s seventh, tying him with swimmer Penny Oleksiak arsenic Canada’s astir decorated summertime Olympians.

The City of Markham is honouring him, on with different Olympians and Paralympians who telephone the metropolis home, with a parade connected Sunday. Mayor Frank Scarpitti besides proclaimed Aug. 9 to be Andre De Grasse Day.

Picking up medal No. 7, and a 2nd gold, is thing De Grasse feels has helped cement his legacy.

“A batch of people, erstwhile I came home, weren’t adjacent talking astir (all the adversity I faced),” De Grasse said. “They were conscionable talking astir how, ‘we were watching you connected TV, it was conscionable unthinkable however you brought it location for Canada.’ We made history.

“Just to get that reception from people, and what was the past happening that crossed their minds and conscionable maine being present tied for astir decorated successful Canada with my bully person Penny. It was conscionable a surreal feeling.

“Now the metropolis that I grew up successful is throwing maine a parade. I’m conscionable looking guardant to that reception. Hopefully I don’t get excessively affectional compared to past clip (in 2016).”

De Grasse missed an Olympic last for the archetypal clip successful his career, failing to marque it successful some the 100 and 200 successful Paris. After missing the 200 final, helium revealed that helium had re-aggravated a hamstring wounded helium suffered a period retired from the Olympics.

The showing built immoderate skepticism astir whether De Grasse whitethorn beryllium implicit the hill. But De Grasse says helium looks up to making the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

“As agelong arsenic I person sponsors backing maine and believing successful maine financially and I’m capable to support going, I’m going to go,” helium said. “I ran my fastest clip this twelvemonth successful implicit 3 years and I inactive felt similar I wasn’t 100 per cent.

“I cognize if I tin get backmost to that 100 per cent, and not person nary nick-nacks, I bash everything right, I tin inactive vie astatine a precocious level. One of the medallists (American Fred Kerley) successful the 100 metres, he’s my age, … truthful it’s not similar I consciousness similar I’m aged and can’t support going. I consciousness similar my body’s inactive good, I conscionable person to marque definite that I bash the close things taking attraction of it.”

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His coach, Rana Reider, besides had his accreditation revoked by the Canadian Olympic Committee a time earlier the 200 semifinal successful Paris.

British media outlets had reported the determination was tied to concerns implicit the “safeguarding” of athletes and allegations of intersexual and affectional abuse, and tribunal documents filed successful Broward County, Fla., amusement 3 women person filed suit against Reider related to alleged intersexual and affectional abuse.

Reider has not been charged with immoderate transgression and the allegations person not been proven successful court.

De Grasse said helium recovered retired astir the concern with Reider astatine the aforesaid clip the nationalist did, and it was pugnacious to woody with. He besides said helium would re-evaluate things, including his coaching situation, erstwhile helium returns to his location basal successful Florida successful a fewer weeks time.

Despite it all, with the enactment of his team, helium pulled Canada from 3rd to archetypal successful the relay with an 8.89-second anchor limb to debar leaving an Olympics without a medal for the archetypal time.

“It’s tough,” helium said. “My past 2 Games, I’ve had truthful overmuch occurrence winning six Olympic medals and present astatine the biggest signifier of my vocation — of people I’ve faced adversity on the mode successful betwixt the Olympics but present going into the Games facing adversity from not being 100 per cent and not having the afloat intelligence assurance successful myself arsenic good present due to the fact that of the concern (with my coach).”

“That’s astir apt 1 of the champion medals I’ve ever won, extracurricular of my golden successful the 200 (in Tokyo),” De Grasse added. “It’s got to beryllium successful the apical 2 present for definite because, conscionable (for) what it took mentally to get there.”