Canadian Sprinter Andre De Grasse has won his second gold medal of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games. Running in the 200 metres at York University, De Grasse ran a 19.88 seconds, a personal best and a Canadian Record for the distance to take home the gold. He adds this medal to the 100 metres gold he took at the same venue on Wednesday Night.
Andre De Grasse Wins Second Gold of Pan Am Games in Mens 200m
De Grasse, running in lane 8 after he barely qualified for the final, didn’t get a great start. However he was able to close the gap on Jamaica’s Rasheed Dwyer over the final 60 meters and leaned forward to edge him out at the line. Dwyer finished with a time of 19.90 seconds. Alonso Edward of Panama took the bronze in a photo finish, also finishing with a time of 19.90 seconds.
The 20-year old De Grasse is seen by many as one of the top sprinting prospects in the world, and Canada’s heir to Donovan Bailey’s throne as Canada’s best sprinter. The Toronto native has made great strides since being discovered two years ago, just a few hundred meters from the York University Stadium that is the home of Track and Field in these games.
De Grasse will be running again tonight as Team Canada’s Men’s 4 x 100 metre relay time will be racing in the semi-finals, in an attempt to qualify for Saturdays sprinting final.
Following that De Grasse will get ready for the Track and Field World Championships, which take place next month in Beijing, China.
The Gold was Canada’s 70th of these games, which is a record for Canada in the Pan Am Games.
Main Photo via Kevin Gamble/Last Word On Sports, Inc.
