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Tokyo 2020: Andre De Grasse wins gold at last!

Andre De Grasse

Bengaluru, August 4: From being the 'so near man', Andre De Grasse finally turned it around as the Canadian won the men's 200M gold at Tokyo 2020 with a national record of 19.62.

USA duo off Kenny Bednarek (19.68) won silver while world champion Noah Lyles, who was one of the favourites to win the yellow metal, had to settle for bronze with a time of 19.74.

It was De Grasse's second medal at Tokyo 2020, following the 100M bronze.

At Rio 2016, De Grasse had won the 100M bronze behind the legendary Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin. He had also won the 200M silver and bronze in 4x100M relay.

There was another bronze in the 2019 Doha World Championships in the 100M, where he took silver behind Lyles in theb 200M.

But this time he did not let the opportunity go as he finally clinched the yellow metal, which he has been yearning for years.

De Grasse, the Rio silver medallist, had reached the final after clocking a national record of 19.73sec and he he went one step further when it mattered.

It was the first time since 1928 that a Canadian has triumphed in this event.

For world champion Lyles, the bronze was the sole consolation after the qualification gaffe.

The 24-year-old had inexplicably slowed up with 10M of his semifinal to run and was promptly overtaken at the line by Canada's Aaron Brown and Liberian Joseph Fahnbulleh, all three credited with 19.99sec.

It meant Lyles did not qualify automatically as one of the first two finishers, instead handed an anxious wait as the third and final semi-final went ahead.

That was won in some style by De Grasse himself, ahead of Bednarek, in 19.83.

Lyles was left a sigh of relief as he qualified as one of the next two fastest, along with Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago.

Lyles and Bednarek were supposed to be the men who could to deny De Grasse gold on this occasion.

But at Tokyo 2020, there was no stopping De Grasse as he followed up the 100M bronze with the 200M gold pipping both the Americans.

Story first published: Wednesday, August 4, 2021, 19:15 [IST]
Other articles published on Aug 4, 2021