On Friday, Andre De Grasse will compete on Canadian soil for the first time in more than a year at the 2024 Bell Track and Field Trials in Montreal. However, he won’t be running his premier event, the one he’s the Olympic champion in; instead, he will focus on earning his spot in Paris in the 100m, which means he could risk missing selection for the 200m.
De Grasse’s reasoning for not competing in the 200m is to concentrate on improving his speed mechanics and his start in the 100m event. “I want to focus on the 100 and improve my start,” says De Grasse. “Coach wants me to get that speed back. I know it will translate to the 200m.”
Andre De Grasse has arrived in Montreal for 🇨🇦 @paris2024 Trials.
He healthy, wants sub 10 and the Canadian 100m title. But it won’t be easy with with 6-7 🇨🇦 sprinters vying for only three spots.
He will also not be in the 200m: “I want to focus on 100m and improve my start.” pic.twitter.com/uGDRFiuONi
— Canadian Running (@CanadianRunning) June 26, 2024
The risk De Grasse faces is not receiving an automatic spot from Athletics Canada for competing in the event at nationals. Three Canadian men currently hold the men’s 200m Olympic standard, alongside De Grasse: Aaron Brown and Brendon Rodney, both of whom will be competing in the men’s 200m at Trials on Saturday and Sunday. Both men will likely secure their tickets to Paris, especially with a win. However, things could get complicated if Jerome Blake, who sits next in the rankings, runs the Olympic standard of 20.16 seconds and wins, potentially leaving De Grasse on the outside looking in.
According to Section 12 of Athletics Canada’s Paris 2024 qualification criteria: “Athletes must compete at a Canadian Championships (CC) or Trials in the event for which they are seeking nomination.” However, De Grasse has received a coaches’ exemption for the men’s 200m event. This means he will not earn an automatic berth to the Olympics at Canadian Trials and will leave his fate in the hands of the Athletics Canada selection committee on July 2nd.
De Grasse met the Olympic 200m standard last September at the Diamond League final in Eugene, Ore., with the fourth-fastest time of his career–19.76 seconds. He has yet to dip under the 20-second mark in 2024, with his best time being 20.09 seconds clocked in Ostrava, Czech Republic, in late May.
Blake, a training partner of De Grasse’s under acclaimed sprint coach Rana Reider, has yet to contest the 200m distance this season. But a win and a near-personal best performance could put him in selection contention, forcing the Athletics Canada selection committee to make a difficult decision.
The 29-year-old De Grasse is arriving in Montreal in the best shape he’s been in since 2021. “I’m starting to get my speed back,” says De Grasse. “I’m feeling like my old self again. I’m healthy, and that’s the main thing. There are six or seven guys running 10.0 seconds now; it used to be just three.”
You can catch De Grasse competing in the 100m semi-finals at the 2024 Bell Canadian Olympic Trials from Montreal live on Runnerspace or AthleticsCanada.tv on Friday, June 28 at 6:55 p.m. ET; the final is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Friday evening (subscription required).
