In pursuit of 5th Olympic medal, Andre De Grasse eases into 200m semifinals

Amid temperatures that reached at the least 36C plus humidity, De Grasse appeared to carry again some, a attainable change in technique after claiming the perfect qualifying time within the 100m heats on the weekend.

Apart from the tough circumstances, De Grasse additionally battled by way of one other false begin in his warmth — the fifth he is been concerned in at these Olympics in 4 races.

The Markham, Ont., native ran a personal-best 9.89 to take bronze within the males’s 100m on Sunday. It was his fourth Olympic medal after changing into the primary Canadian to ever win three on the monitor on the 2016 Rio Video games, when he took silver within the 200m behind Usain Bolt, together with bronze within the 100m and 4x100m relay.

He’s the one contender from the 100m making an attempt the double in Tokyo.

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Fellow Canadian Aaron Brown additionally superior on Tuesday, successful his warmth in 20.38 seconds.

Brown, 29, selected to surrender the 100m in Tokyo so he might deal with his stronger distance, the 200m, with more energizing legs.

“It feels good. Glad to get my toes moist lastly, take part on the motion. We have seen some nice performances already, so glad to be safely by way of. Did not wish to gasoline it an excessive amount of however the primary factor was simply to qualify,” Brown stated after the race.

The choice seems to be paying off within the early going for the Toronto native and present Canadian champion.

“I actually suppose that I gave myself the perfect probability to be on the rostrum within the 200 by foregoing the 100. Not making an attempt to unfold myself too skinny like I did [at 2019 worlds in] Doha. I am going to double sooner or later, so it is not like I am carried out with the 100 ceaselessly, however I actually wish to give myself the perfect probability right here,” Brown stated.

On the 2016 Olympics, Brown positioned sixteenth within the 200m and thirty first within the 100m.

WATCH | De Grasse claims 100m bronze in Tokyo:

Canadian Andre De Grasse claimed 100m bronze in a second-straight Olympic Video games, whereas Italian Lamont Jacobs received gold and American Fred Kerley took silver. 5:55

The highest three runners in every of the seven heats, plus the following three quickest, superior to the semifinals later Tuesday. The ultimate is scheduled to be run Wednesday night in Tokyo.

After putting sixth in his warmth, Canada’s Brendon Rodney didn’t advance with a time of 21.60 seconds.

The 200m is De Grasse’s high occasion. Whereas the 100m was considered as a wide-open discipline and performed out that method, American Noah Lyles is the runaway favorite within the 200m with De Grasse, 26, his high competitors.

Lyles ran a 20.18 on Tuesday.

The Canadian set a nationwide document within the distance in Rio, blazing previous the end line in 19.80 seconds. He is ranked second within the self-discipline by World Athletics, behind Lyles whose private greatest is nineteen.50.

Brown, whose private greatest is 19.95, is ranked sixth. He received bronze alongside De Grasse within the Rio relay.

American Erriyon Knighton, 17, cruised to a 20.55 to win his warmth and immediately enter the rostrum dialog. Kenny Bednarek, additionally of the U.S. posted the perfect time in heats at 20.01.

Canada’s Constantine advances

Canada’s Kyra Constantine is into the ladies’s 400m semifinals.

Working in a warmth with Bahrainian star Shaunae Miller-Uibo on Tuesday in Tokyo, Constantine burst out of the blocks, however slowed down late, falling to fifth in her warmth. She crossed the road with a time of 51.69 seconds.

“I attempted my greatest to execute [my race plan]. My first 200 was nice. My second might have been executed a bit of higher,” she stated moments after the race.

Nonetheless, it was sufficient to advance with one of many six quickest occasions exterior the highest three athletes in every warmth. The semifinals are set for Tuesday night forward of the ultimate on Thursday.

The 23-year-old from Toronto, making her Olympic debut, owns a private greatest of fifty.87, set in June because the third-fastest time on the earth this 12 months.

“Truthfully, coming in, I felt so overwhelmed with the love and help from my household and buddies and I simply wished to come back out right here and do my greatest — not just for myself, however for them,” Constantine stated.

Miller-Uibo received the warmth in 50.50 seconds. The Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino posted the perfect qualifying time at 50.06 seconds.

Canada’s Natassha McDonald positioned final in her warmth, failing to qualify with a time of 53.54 regardless of a powerful begin to her race.

In the meantime, Canadian Liz Gleadle will not advance advance to the ladies’s javelin last after throwing 58.19 metres in qualifying on Tuesday.

Gleadle, a 32-year-old from Vancouver, positioned eleventh in her group. The highest 12 finishers mixed between the 2 teams, or anybody with a distance of 63 metres, moved on to Friday’s last. 

No different Canadians had been competing.