Usain Bolt’s heir apparent Andre De Grasse is ready to take up the mantle
ASKED to sum up Usain Bolt’s legacy in the world of athletics, young Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse was happy to play ball. To a point.
ASKED to sum up Usain Bolt’s legacy in the world of athletics, young Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse was happy to play ball.
To a point.
“It’s incredible. No-one has ever done what he has done, with three gold medals in the 100m and 200m,” De Grasse said.
“It is incredible the things he’s done over the course of his career. No-one has done it before and um ...”
De Grasse paused. And no-one will ever do it again, Andre?
“I don’t know how he does it. He is just a special athlete,” De Grasse continued.
Introducing the heir apparent to Usain Bolt.
A cocky young Canadian who not only thought he could beat Bolt in Rio, but refuses to rule out beating his Olympic record in the future.
With the Greatest Of All Time having made it known this would be his final Olympics, all eyes turned in the 2016 Games to who would take up Bolt’s mantle in the future.
De Grasse, a slight 21-year-old from Toronto, emerged as that candidate with a bronze medal behind Bolt and Justin Gatlin in the 100m and silver behind Bolt in the 200m.
But it wasn’t just his medal haul in Rio that set De Grasse apart.
What slightly pissed off Bolt — and therefore also impressed him — was the fact De Grasse had pushed the Jamaican star all the way to the line in their semi-final. There was no cruisy wind down, and though Bolt was all smiles at the time, he later said: “That was no cool.”
“I love competition,” Bolt said after his 200m win.
“He is a young kid, he has great talent and I look (fondly) on the fact he definitely wants to beat me. He might joke about it but I can tell. And as a competitor, you should always want to beat the best. Without a doubt I respect him for that.
“But I tell all the youngsters, you’re not going to beat me. I don’t allow young kids to beat me. I don’t give them that stripe.”
The lack of cool came via the exertion in the semi: both men used up too much petrol and didn’t go close to Bolt’s world record time. The crowd didn’t get the full show. Not cool.
“He was just saying it was unnecessary. He told me “you are going to learn from that, you’re young”,” De Grasse said.
“I guess I did pay for it today. I didn’t have anything left.”
With Gatlin also unlikely to make Tokyo, the world of sprinting is set to open up in coming years. Does De Grasse like that idea of being passed the torch from Bolt?
“It’s an honour to be a part of history and what he has accomplished,” he said.
“But overall if his time is up, I guess a new person has to come in there.”
DeShawn Merritt, a bronze medallist in the 400m, finished fourth in the 200m. He said Bolt had been a tremendous ambassador for athletics
“He has been great for the sport but the sport will go on. People will still run fast times when he is gone,” Merritt said.
Did he ever think he could beat Bolt?
“He is just a person,” Merritt said.
“There is not a God out there.”
Maybe. Maybe not.
Originally published as Usain Bolt’s heir apparent Andre De Grasse is ready to take up the mantle
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