De Grasse posts season best, wins sprint double

Andre De Grasse passed his "fitness test" with flying colours on Tuesday as the reigning Olympic 200-metre champion posted back-to-back wins at the 63rd Ostrava Golden Spike track meet.

De Grasse clocked a season-best 20.09 seconds in the 200-metre final to beat Jamaica's Andrew Hudson (20.56) and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of London (20.63) to the finish line. It was De Grasse's second straight win in the 200 this season.

About an hour earlier, De Grasse won the 100-metre final in 10.10 by beating Ryiem Forde of Jamaica (10.17), 2021 Olympic gold medallist Marcell Jacobs (10.19) and fellow Canadian Jerome Blake (10.19) to the wire.

"I wanted to come out here, test my fitness plus my endurance and see where I'm at," De Grasse told World Athletics at Mestský Stadium in the Czech Republic. "It's early in the season but I'm happy with (the result). The weather was a little bit chilly for the 200 but next time I'll get the sub-20 (seconds)."

Tuesday marked the first time De Grasse has competed in the 100/200 double on the same day since last Aug. 4 at the Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis, Tenn., where he was fifth in the heats and won the 200 in 20.19.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2024.

The Canadian Press