De Grasse eyes progress, return to Olympic sprinting form with toe injury behind him
Canadian record holder posts season-best time over 200m at Oslo Diamond League
John Coghlan understands how Canadian track fans might fall into the trap of thinking something is amiss with Andre De Grasse when he isn't in championship form early in the outdoor season. But any concern, the coach says, should be eased by looking at the sprinter's history and accomplishments.
"He's surprised people a few times … when they thought he wasn't setting the world [on fire] and then shows up at the right time," said Coghlan, who has worked with De Grasse since last November.
In July 2021, De Grasse ran 10.17 seconds over 100 metres in the Czech Republic 10 weeks before the Summer Games and then a 9.89 personal best for bronze in Tokyo to become the first Canadian to win multiple Olympic medals in the distance.
He went 20.09 in the 200 at the Bislett Games Diamond League meet in Norway one month before the Tokyo final when De Grasse found a different gear in the final seconds and reached the finish line in a Canadian record 19.62 for his first Olympic gold in the event.
"He's special," the Irishman Coghlan told CBC Sports of De Grasse. "You think he's a bit off the pace and then shows up in Tokyo and runs 19.6.
"He has such an incredible ability to turn on [his performance]. He's got a winner's mentality. I think people see his phenomenal physical ability, but I think his mental ability to perform is outstanding."
Coghlan added De Grasse was at full health entering Thursday's 200 at Bislett Stadium in Oslo, where he placed fifth in 20.33 — a season's best by 2-100ths of a second — in the fifth event on the Diamond League schedule.
WATCH | De Grasse posts season-best time over 200 metres:
"I'm hoping for progress," said Coghlan of De Grasse earlier in the week. "I think he can improve on his season's best and use it as a stepping stone. He's not in peak shape by any means but moving in the right direction."
Erriyon Knighton, the 19-year-old American standout and reigning world bronze medallist, took Thursday's race in a 19.77 SB, topping Usain Bolt's meet record by 2-100ths.
De Grasse won the 100 in Oslo last year in the rain and has prevailed a combined four times there in the 100 and 200, over the past seven years at Bislett Stadium.
On May 21, De Grasse ran the sprint double about 60 minutes apart at the Bermuda Grand Prix, which he treated as "high-level training," according to Coghlan. The Markham, Ont., athlete went 10.16 in the 100 and 20.28 in the 200 aided by a significant tailwind.
"I expected him to go a little faster, even though it was more of a training type of exercise," said Coghlan. "He finished strong in the 200 but his first 100 metres wasn't up to scratch. But the way he came back [to finish second] shows his strength is pretty good.
WATCH | De Grasse displays improved strength over 200 metres in Bermuda:
"If you're going to perform at a high level at [the World Athletics Championships in August] you need to run races back-to-back. The plan is to gradually get faster through the season, so let's hope that happens in Oslo."
While De Grasse anchored Canada's men to a thrilling 4x100 relay gold medal at worlds last July in Eugene, Ore., he didn't qualify for the 100 final and the next day withdrew from the 200. It was the first time he had missed the medal podium in an individual event at a worlds or Olympics.
De Grasse's 20.35 at this year's Diamond League opener on May 5 in Doha, Qatar was faster than each of his three wind-legal races from a year ago when the six-time Olympic medallist twice had COVID-19 and an injured right big toe that disrupted his training for much of the season.
"You put a lot of power through your big toe [as a sprinter] and I think a lot of questions were going through his head," Coghlan recalled. "I think he felt he wasn't fit last year because he missed so much training. But it seems to be, touch wood, under control and not an issue right now."
WATCH | De Grasse clocks 20.09 seconds for 2021 win in Oslo:
Still, training a lot of the winter season in Orlando, Fla., on grass fields and hills to prevent aggravating his toe delayed De Grasse in speed training, so his pure speed wasn't at the usual high level in February and March it would have been had he worked on a track.
However, the 28-year-old father of three managed to improve his conditioning, fitness and gradually build back confidence in the toe.
In the short term, Coghlan noted De Grasse needs to get faster in his top-end speed — the sprinter's biggest strength — with the goal for 2023 to run under 10 seconds in the 100 and sub-20 in the 200.
[He] will go out of his way to sign autographs [for kids]. A great ambassador for Canada in how he carries himself.— Professional track coach John Coghlan on Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse
In time, added Coghlan, De Grasse would target the Canadian record of 9.84 seconds in the 100 shared by Donovan Bailey and Bruny Surin.
"Andre has the capability to do it," he said. "I think if he builds his strength and power [a little more] it's going to give him a big chance."
WATCH | The key to De Grasse's speed:
After worlds last summer, De Grasse was seeking a fresh start coaching-wise heading into the 2024 Paris Olympics while his coach Rana Reider was being investigated by the U.S. Center for SafeSport for sexual misconduct. Last month, the 52-year-old was given one-year probation after admitting to a consensual romantic relationship with a younger female athlete.
De Grasse has developed a good rapport with Coghlan, with whom he talks every day in the weight room, at the track or on the phone.
"We're honest and can talk to each other openly," Coghlan said. "We've definitely got a good relationship, in terms of being able to say what we think and feel.
"You get to know him and he's an incredibly nice guy, genuine and humble [on top of] being a top-level athlete. It doesn't always go hand in hand," the coach continued. "He's so helpful to kids and will go out of his way to sign autographs. A great ambassador for Canada in how he carries himself."
Diamond League calendar
- Lausanne, Switzerland — June 30
- Stockholm — July 2
- Silesia, Poland — July 16
- Monaco — July 21
- London — July 23
- Shanghai — July 29
- Shenzhen, China — Aug. 3
- Zurich — Aug. 31
- Brussels — Sept. 8
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here
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