Andre De Grasse, Usain Bolt set to clash in 200 final

By Callum Ng, CBC Sports

The Olympic Games are often a cavalcade of triumph, misery, redemption and, of course, doses of mishap and bad behaviour.

Then there's what happened between Andre De Grasse and Usain Bolt on Wednesday night. 

People on Twitter call it a "bromance," but it's more; it's a reminder of what happens when athletic prowess and personality combine to make something unique.

• WATCH: Men's 200-metre semifinals
• The champ and the kid: Bolt, De Grasse steal spotlight ahead of 200 final
• WATCH: Men's 200-metre final tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET

In their 200-metre semifinal, Bolt did what he usually does — win. After powering through the bend, the Jamaican was clear of the field, including De Grasse.

A few more strides and the greatest sprinter in history eased off. But it's in the final 10 metres where the Canadian did something unexpected. 

Halfway down the straightaway, with Bolt shutting it down, De Grasse hit the gas and pushed the veteran in an act of gamesmanship on the part of the Markham, Ont., native. 

Over the final strides, De Grasse turned to his Olympic pal and grinned, like he had just discovered how his wings work. Bolt, narrowly ahead, smiled back and pointed a finger, as if to say, "I see you."

It was hilarious. It was incredible. And it blew up Twitter to the point where #DeBolt was trending. 

It was two men running so fast, yet they still had time to laugh about it.

De Grasse, 21, broke his Canadian record, stopping the clock at 19.80 seconds. Bolt, 29, was slightly ahead in 19.78. It set up an epic final for Thursday night.

While many viewed the exchange as good-natured, there was a hidden strategy on the part of De Grasse. 

"I always want to push him, and I feel like I have a great shot to get on the podium again," De Grasse said. "My coach [Stuart McMillan] told me to go out there and try to make him use as much energy as possible in this race.

McMillan, De Grasse says, told him: "I think you're going to do a better job recovering than he is."

Not all fun and friendliness, perhaps.

"He was supposed to slow down," Bolt, who is trying to win his third straight Olympic title in the event, said. "I said, 'What are you doing? It's a semifinal.' But I think he wanted to push me."

'Just like me'

Attached at the hip in Rio, their 200 semifinal counted as the third time De Grasse and Bolt have raced each other in these Olympics.

They've made an entertaining tandem. There have been friendly high-fives and other encouraging gestures. They also hugged on Sunday in the 100 after Bolt won his seventh Olympic gold medal and De Grasse his first — a bronze. 

It's one of those nice stories amidst the dark stuff like Russia's doping ban.

"He runs just like me," Bolt praised De Grasse after the 100. "He's really slow at the blocks, but when he gets going, he gets going.

The 200 is different. There's more time for De Grasse to erase his traditionally slow starts. In the 100, to the naked eye, you could hardly detect a difference between the two men's top-end speed — aside from the fact Bolt may get there sooner. 

It makes Thursday's final interesting.

Bolt and De Grasse are the class of the field. In a stunning third heat, Justin Gatlin of the U.S., didn't qualify. Neither did Jamaican Yohan Blake. American LaShawn Merritt remains a threat, especially after posting a 19.74 from earlier this season. 

"We didn't expect to run that fast, but it happened. Now I've just got to recover and get ready for [Thursday night]," De Grasse said. 

The final is at 9:30 p.m. ET at the Olympic Stadium.

On the point of recovery, Thursday morning features the 4x100 relay, which De Grasse may or may not run in. Canadian coaches may opt to rest De Grasse, with the hope that the other four sprinters secure a spot in the final on Friday night.

By then, the #DeBolt saga will have a final act.

With files from The Canadian Press