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Andre De Grasse rebounded in the men’s 200 metres, posting his second performance of the season under 20 seconds on Friday at a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet in Zagreb, Croatia.
Fresh off his fifth Canadian title in the 100, De Grasse ran a strong turn in Croatia and held off Yassine Hssine of Morocco at the finish line for the victory in 19.95 seconds at the Boris Hanžeković Memorial.
Hssine’s 20-second flat effort is a national record while Udodi Chudi Onwuzurike of Nigeria was third in a season-best 20.18 on a sunny, warm and calm evening.
“It was a good race, I fought very hard for the win,” said De Grasse, who ran with the temperature hovering around 30 C. “I’m happy with the sub-20 [seconds and] have to keep improving for the rest of the season.
“I feel a little bit tired, but I think it’s because of the heat, but I’m very happy with the performance. I’ve run faster this season, but I’m satisfied because it was close to my season’s best.”
WATCH | De Grasse shines in Zagreb, earning his second 200m victory of the season:
Andre De Grasse of Markham, Ont., won Friday’s 200-metre race with a time of 19.95 at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold stop in Zagreb, Croatia.
The 31-year-old De Grasse turned in a 20.16 performance at Rabat Diamond League in Morocco on May 31.
Afterwards, the Markham, Ont., native said he needed to work on speed endurance after fatigue set in over the final 50 metres.
De Grasse, who didn’t advance to the 200 final at the World Athletics Championships last September in Tokyo, won his 2026 season opener in 19.84 on April 26 at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix.
While he didn’t divulge his race plans for the balance of the season, De Grasse noted his focus is on the 100 metres.
“I just want to run fast and stay healthy,” he said. “I would like to stay more in shape in 200 and keep breaking sub 20 barrier..”
A week ago, he clocked 10.09 for the 100 in wet and rainy conditions at nationals in Ottawa, defeating relay teammate Aaron Brown by 6-100ths of a second.
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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