De Grasse: 'Bolt is the man; he's phenomenal'

With both Bolt and Gatlin likely racing in their last Games, 21-year-old De Grasse - who ran a personal best time of 9.91 seconds - appears in prime position to take on the mantle of sprint king.

Published : Aug 15, 2016 14:17 IST

Andre De Grasse might take over the mantle from Usain Bolt (right) as the srpint king.
Andre De Grasse might take over the mantle from Usain Bolt (right) as the srpint king.
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Andre De Grasse might take over the mantle from Usain Bolt (right) as the srpint king.

Andre De Grasse is happy to bide his time to stake a claim as the next great sprinter after claiming bronze in Sunday's 100 metre final.

The legendary Usain Bolt broke new ground at Rio 2016 by becoming the first sprinter to win three 100m gold medals, finishing ahead of rival Justin Gatlin.

With both Bolt and Gatlin likely racing in their last Games, 21-year-old De Grasse - who ran a personal best time of 9.91 seconds - appears in prime position to take on the mantle of sprint king.

But for now the Canadian was happy to reflect on a job well done against the sprinting elite.

"Racing the fastest man in the world, ever, and Gatlin, these guys are spectacular," he said. "Bolt is the man, he's phenomenal. I'm waiting for my time."

De Grasse has improved quickly over the past 15 months. 

He won NCAA championships in the 100 and 200m for USC last year, then took gold in those two events before his home crowd in Toronto at the 2015 Pan American Games.

A bronze medal at the World Championships followed to announce his name on the international stage.

But taking his country's first medal in the 100m since Donovan Bailey won it in 1996 marked De Grasse as one of the favourites for the next Olympic cycle.

"I'm speechless," he said. "They're probably jumping up and down screaming back home in Canada."

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