Andre De Grasse returning to action this weekend at American track meet

Aug 17 2021, 3:02 pm

Canadian sprinter and six-time Olympic medallist Andre De Grasse is returning to action this weekend, competing in a Diamond League event on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon.

The two-day Prefontaine Classic, named after legendary runner Steve Prefontaine, will showcase De Grasse in the 100m race, including seven Americans, most notably five-time Olympic medallist Justin Gatlin, and 2015 World Championship bronze medallist Trayvon Bromell.

De Grasse won three medals in Tokyo: 200m gold, 100m bronze, and 4x100m relay bronze that could be upgraded to silver after a positive test by a member of team Great Britain.

Bromell was a favourite for the Olympic gold in Tokyo after winning the US Olympic Trials with a time of 9.77 seconds but failed to qualify for the final with a semifinal time of 10.00 seconds.

Gatlin, 39, won the Athens 2004 Olympic 100m gold medal, silver in Rio in 2016, and bronze in London in 2012. Gatlin also won silver in the 4×100 relay in Athens and bronze in the 200m race in 2004.

Canadian Gabriela DeBues-Stafford will be running in the 1500m after a fifth-place finish in Tokyo.

The women’s 100m race is also set to be one for the ages, with a possible shot at redemption for American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson.

Richardson and her colourful red hair became an instant star and favourite for the 100m Olympic race in Tokyo after her 10.72 time at the Olympic Trials, but she was subsequently suspended for 30 days due to a positive cannabis test.

Richardson, who accepted the suspension, cited stress following her mother’s death as the reason for her cannabis use. Much of the sporting world rallied behind Richardson, railing back against a suspension for the use of a substance that has been legalized for personal use in 18 states and has no proven performance enhancement.

In the 100m race, Richardson will be going up against the Jamaican trio of Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, who swept the podium in Tokyo.

Thompson-Herah won the gold medal with an Olympic record time of 10.61, Fraser-Pryce won silver with a time of 10.74, and Jackson won bronze with a time of 10.76.

The 100m races, and the rest of the Prefontaine Classic event, can be streamed on CBC here.

The men’s race is set to kick off at 4:30 pm ET/1:30 pm PT on Saturday, August 21, while the women’s race is set to follow at 4:51 pm ET/1:51 pm PT. DeBues-Stafford will be right after, with the women’s 1500m on at 5:02 pm ET/2:02 PT>

Adam LaskarisAdam Laskaris

+ Offside
+ Olympics
ADVERTISEMENT