Andre De Grasse wins Olympic 200-metre silver, further arrives on world stage

Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse has picked up plenty of world attention in Rio with his bronze in the 100 metres and his strong finish in the 200 metre semifinals, and he hit an even better moment Thursday night, winning the silver medal in the 200-metre final.

Jamaica's Usain Bolt won, as expected, and posted a strong time of 19.79 seconds, but De Grasse ran an impressive race himself and finished second with a time of 20.02 seconds, well ahead of France's Christophe Lemaitre (who posted a 20.12 for third). De Grasse's bronze in the 100 metres was the first Canadian track medal since Donovan Bailey in 1996, and now he's upped his game even further with this silver and really announced himself to the world in the process.

Interestingly enough, the 20.02 De Grasse ran Thursday was well behind the 19.80 he posted in the semifinals, where he was just steps behind Bolt's 19.78. This wasn't as impressive of a race from him all around as that semifinal heat; the slow start he usually has seemed perhaps even more protracted than usual, and heading into the turn, it wasn't clear he would even get a place on the podium.

De Grasse showed his terrific closing speed, though, and while he wasn't able to catch up to Bolt, he was able to pull away from the rest of the pack.

"Maybe in the semifinals, I put too much energy into it," De Grasse told the CBC's Scott Oake after the race. "It's a learning experience (but) for me it's my first Olympic Games and I have two medals.

"I can't complain."

The five-foot-nine', 154-pound De Grasse is a bit unusual in the sprinting world, especially next to relative giants like the 6-5, 207-pound Bolt, but he's proven that his mechanics and the force he exerts on the ground in particular can be just as effective as the bigger guys. He also may have even more room to improve going forward; he's only 21, and many, including former Canadian sprinter Anson Henry, think he can refine his transition to reach top speed faster.

Still, this silver is incredibly impressive, and it helps further symbolize his arrival on the world stage in Rio. De Grasse was already well-known in the track world thanks to his NCAA 100 and 200 metre titles last year, and he was well-known in the Canadian world thanks to his showing at last year's Pan Am Games.

Now, the whole world will know who he is. He hasn't quite caught Bolt yet, but he proved to be the world's second-fastest man over 200 metres at these Games. With some further refinements and extra experience, even more could be ahead for him.