Jamaican sprinting superstar Usain Bolt put his arm around Canadian upstart Andre De Grasse as the pair embraced the crowd at Rio's Olympic Stadium after the menās 100 meter final on Sunday; a moment many are hailing as a passing of the torch to the next generation of Olympic sprinting.
While Boltās exodus from competition is still a matter speculation, De Grasseās first track coach believes the 21-year-old Markham, Ont.-native will become a leading force in the marquee event as he evolves as an athlete.
āAs Andre continues to mature physically and gets a little stronger, he will definitely get faster,ā former coach Tony Sharpe told Ā鶹“«Ć½ Channel. āThere are lots of big things ahead for Andre in terms of lowering his times.ā
Sharpe discovered De Grasse at a Southern Ontario high school track meet. De Grasse was supposed to watch a friend from the sidelines that day, but couldnāt deny his competitive side. He placed second wearing borrowed cleats and basketball shorts.
āI said, āWho is that?ā Typically you donāt see walk-ons that compete that well,ā said Sharpe, himself a former 100- and 200-metre Canadian champion and Olympic teammate of Ben Johnson.
De Grasse was initially reluctant to embrace sprinting, but Sharpe convinced the high school student of his potential.
āI got introduced to him later on and told him I could help him. He joined the club and the rest is kind of history,ā he said.
De Grasse won the bronze medal for Canada in Sundayās menās 100 meter final. Bolt overpowered second-place American Justin Gatlin, winning his third straight Olympic gold in the event.
Sharpe says De Grasse went into the race believing he would win. De Grasseās qualifying time was four one-hundredths of a second quicker than Bolt - the reigning fastest man in the world.
āYouāre not running for second, youāre not running for third, youāre running to win the hundred meters,ā he said. āI thought Andrew could win.ā
Sharpe says De Grasse is a mentally tough athlete known for keeping calm and performing well in competition.
āI donāt remember Andre going to any major competition where he didnāt do well, like had a bad day. It just doesnāt seem to happen,ā he said.
Sharpeās biggest concern was De Grasse getting a good start to the race, since heās not known for being fast off the blocks. He delivered an impressive 9.91 second personal-best time.
āA lot of athletes might perform well, but itās more important to perform at the right time ā¦ thatās the kind of character he is.ā
Remuro Henry, De Grasseās coach at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas, also hailed the young sprinterās performance in a chat with Ā鶹“«Ć½ Channel.
āIt was just amazing,ā Henry said of De Grasseās bronze medal finish on Sunday. āYou know, I Just broke down in tearsā¦ I was sweating more than he was. I was going to pull my hair out!ā
Henry says that when he first met De Grasse, the Canadian runner was far from being the dedicated athlete that he is today.
āHe was just a laid back guy,ā Henry reminisced. āHe didnāt really know how talented he was -- and he really didnāt care too much for it.ā
That blasé attitude was gone on Sunday, Henry said. In its place was confidence, bravery and toughness.
āI told everybody heās going to get better as he goes,ā Henry boasted. āOnce heās up and running, other than Bolt, I donāt think anybody can touch him.ā
āIām just proud of him,ā Henry beamed. āI canāt say it enough.ā
