'My chance to take him down': Andre De Grasse readies for race of a lifetime

By Stephanie Jenzer, CBC News

Watch the 100-metre semifinal and final live on cbc.ca/olympics, the CBC Rio 2016 app, CBC TV and the CBC Olympic Games Virtual Reality app. The semifinal is at 8 p.m. ET, and the final is at 9:25 p.m. ET.

They are just six words typed out late this morning in a Twitter message, but they speak volumes about the Olympic journey of Andre De Grasse. The 21-year-old sprinter from Markham, Ont., wrote: "Looks like tonight is the night."

And indeed it is.

De Grasse clearly knows the weight of the moment fast approaching. The fabled and celebrated 100-metre sprint will be run in Rio de Janiero at 10:25 p.m. local time tonight.

The winner earns himself not just the gold medal and title of Olympic champion — but also the crown of world's fastest man.

Jamaica's Usain Bolt has vowed, of course, to hold on to that vaunted designation, stating clearly his goal is to "three-peat" — add a Rio gold to the ones earned in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.  And in truth, many analysts would genuinely be surprised if that does not happen.

But there may be, just MAY be a couple of sprinters who stand in Bolt's way.

• Andre De Grasse, Usain Bolt cruise into 100m semifinals
• Road to Rio: Andre De Grasse sprints to the 'show that really counts'

First is American Justin Gatlin, who is often painted as wearing the black hat to Bolt's white hat, because Gatlin has served doping bans. Gatlin has been the only real challenger to Bolt's titles in the past year.

"He's a great runner, it's going to be exciting," Gatlin said of Bolt, speaking to CBC and other media in just one of the scrums going on behind the scenes after yesterday's 100-metre heats.

Gatlin easily won his heat. He did not however, declare he could beat Bolt in the final.

Boldly, De Grasse did. And increasingly many are talking about De Grasse in the same breath as Bolt.

"I think I'm capable," De Grasse told CBC yesterday. "If I can get out of the blocks, I think my top-end speed will hold, if I can get out with him … this is my chance to take him down."

Take Bolt down.

De Grasse has always been confident, but after a bumpy seven or eight months, including a slight injury that now appears healed, his composure after winning yesterday's heat — and his self-assuredness through the round of interviews that followed — imply he is in fact "capable."

'Ready to do something spectacular'

And it's all come so fast.

It was only about seven months ago when De Grasse's agent, Paul Doyle, talked to CBC about the education of the young sprinter, how they spent evenings pouring over videos of old, iconic sprint moments, trying to impress upon him the legacy of the torch he now carried.

"From a Canadian perspective, the Olympic Games all changed in 1996 for Canada," Doyle said, referring to Donovan Bailey's gold in the 100 metres in Atlanta.

De Grasse wasn't even two then, Doyle explains, adding, "You know, it's all new, he's actually just starting to understand the history of the sport."

De Grasse is a quick study. Flash forward and it's clear the athlete gets the enormity of what will very likely unfold in less than 10 seconds tonight. "I think I'm ready to do something spectacular," he says.

De Grasse actually meets Bolt in one of the three semi-finals about an hour-and-a-half before the 100-metre final. The top two of each semi automatically advance. The two next fastest times of all the semis are added to that last flight of eight sprinters going for gold.

This afternoon, De Grasse's coach, Stuart McMillan told CBC: "Andre is feeling great, he's in an awesome semi, and is ready to go."

Indeed, it looks like tonight is the night.

Andre De Grasse's Road to Rio

8 years ago

Duration 22:29

Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse gives a behind-the-scenes look at his quest for Olympic gold at the Rio Games.