Andre De Grasse

Andre De Grasse, born on 10 November 1994, is a Canadian sprinter. He is a seven-time Olympic medallist and became the 2020 Olympic champion in the 200 m race. He also won a silver medal in the 200 m in 2016 and another silver in the 4 × 100 relay in 2020. He has three Olympic bronze medals, including finishes in the 100 m at both the 2016 and 2020 Games, as well as in the 4 × 100 m relay in 2016.

De Grasse added another gold medal as part of the 4 × 100 m relay team at the 2024 Summer Olympics, tying him with swimmer Penny Oleksiak as Canada's most decorated Olympians ever. At the World Athletics Championships, he has won several medals, including gold and bronze in relay events, as well as individual silvers and bronzes in the 100 m and 200 m races. He holds the Canadian record for the 200 m with a time of 19.62 seconds, set in Tokyo, making him one of the fastest runners ever in that distance.

Early life

Andre De Grasse was born in Scarborough, Ontario, a part of Toronto. His mother, Beverley De Grasse, was a good runner when she was in school in Trinidad and Tobago. His father, Alexander Waithe, grew up in Barbados before moving to Canada. Andre grew up in Markham, Ontario and went to different schools there.

In school, Andre first tried basketball and even played against a future professional player named Andrew Wiggins. When he started running races, he didn’t have the right shoes or starting blocks, but he still did very well. A coach named Tony Sharpe saw how good he was and invited him to join a special running program called Pickering’s Speed Academy.

Andre kept working hard and soon won three gold medals at the 2013 Canada Games in the 100-metre, 200-metre, and the 4 × 100-metre relay races.

Collegiate career

Andre De Grasse went to Coffeyville Community College in 2013 and 2014. Then he moved to USC for his junior season in 2015.

While at USC, De Grasse ran the 100 m in 9.97 seconds, winning the Pac-12 championship. This was the first time he ran under 10 seconds, and the first Canadian to do so since Bruny Surin. In the 200 m, he broke the Canadian record with a time of 20.03 seconds. He also ran a close 20.05 seconds in the final. At the NCAA Championships, De Grasse won both the 100 m and 200 m races. He said he wanted to keep improving and aim for big titles like the world and Olympic championships.

Athletics career

In 2015, De Grasse competed in the Pan American Games in Ontario, winning gold medals in both the 100 m and 200 m races. He also participated in the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, where he won a bronze medal in the 100 m and another bronze in the 4 × 100 m relay.

The 2016 season was challenging at first, but De Grasse qualified for Canada's Olympic team. At the Rio Olympics, he won a bronze medal in the 100 m and a silver medal in the 200 m. He also contributed to the Canadian team’s bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m relay after a disqualification of the American team.

In 2017, De Grasse had a strong start but was forced to withdraw from the World Championships due to a hamstring injury. In 2018, he struggled with injuries and ended his season early. In 2019, he returned from injury and won medals at the World Championships, including a bronze in the 100 m and a silver in the 200 m.

The 2020 Summer Olympics, delayed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, saw De Grasse win a bronze medal in the 100 m and the gold medal in the 200 m, setting a new personal best and Canadian record. He also helped the Canadian team win a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m relay.

In 2022, De Grasse faced health challenges but still managed to win a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the World Championships. In 2023, despite a difficult season, he won the Diamond League title in the 200 m, becoming the first Canadian sprinter to do so.

In 2024, De Grasse was named to Canada’s Olympic team for the Paris Games. Although he didn’t perform as expected in the individual events, he helped the Canadian team win the gold medal in the 4 × 100 m relay, earning his seventh Olympic medal and tying the Canadian record.

Philanthropy and public appearances

In 2016, Andre De Grasse started the Andre De Grasse Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament to help his family foundation. In September 2017, he joined a special event called WE Day in Toronto, organized by WE Charity. He also runs another basketball event called "Holiday Classic at Markham" every year, with all the money going to support his foundation.

Personal life

Andre De Grasse is married to Nia Ali, an American hurdler. They have two children—a daughter named Yuri, born in June 2018, and another child born in May 2021. De Grasse follows the Catholic faith, which he was introduced to by his parents. He has a tattoo on his arm that says "hope" along with a prayer.

Honours

Andre De Grasse's great achievements at the Olympics helped him earn many awards. In 2016, he won the Lionel Conacher Award as Canada’s top male athlete and received the Rising Star Award. Later, he was given a Harry Jerome Award in 2017. For his amazing sportsmanship, he became a member of the Order of Ontario in 2022 and the Order of Canada in 2025.

Statistics

Information from the World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.

NJCAA and NCAA results come from the Track & Field Results Reporting System.

Circuit performances

Wins and titles

Diamond League (Events in parentheses)

• Rabat: 2017 (200 m), (/wiki/2019_Meeting_International_Mohammed_VI_d'Athlétisme_de_Rabat) (200 m)
• Rome: 2017 (200 m)
• Oslo: 2016 (100 m), 2017 (100 m), 2021 (200 m), 2022 (100 m)
• Stockholm: 2017 (100 m)
• Eugene: 2021 (100 m), 2023 (200 m)
• Birmingham: 2016 (200 m)

Representing  Canada

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time	Wind (m/s)
2013	Pan American Junior Championships	Medellín, Colombia	2nd	100 m	10.36	+1.8
			3rd	200 m	20.74	NWI
2014	Commonwealth Games	Glasgow, Scotland	15th	200 m	20.73	+0.2
			DNF	4 × 100 m relay	—	—N/a
2015	Pan American Games	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	1st	100 m	10.05	+1.1
			1st	200 m	19.88	+0.3
			DQ	4 × 100 m relay	38.06	—N/a
	World Championships	Beijing, China	3rd	100 m	9.92	−0.5
			3rd	4 × 100 m relay	38.13	—N/a
2016	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	3rd	100 m	9.91	+0.2
			2nd	200 m	20.02	−0.5
			3rd	4 × 100 m relay	37.64	—N/a
2017	World Relays	Nassau, Bahamas	DNF	4 × 100 m relay	—	—N/a
			1st	4 × 200 m relay	1:19.42	—N/a
2019	World Relays	Yokohama, Japan	11th	4 × 100 m relay	38.76	—N/a
	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	3rd	100 m	9.90	+0.6
			2nd	200 m	19.95	+0.3
2021	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	3rd	100 m	9.89	+0.1
			1st	200 m	19.62	−0.5
			2nd	4 × 100 m relay	37.70
2022	World Championships	Eugene, Oregon, U.S.	5th (sf)	100 m	10.21	+0.1
			1st	4 × 100 m relay	37.48
2023	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	6th	200 m	20.14
2024	Olympic Games	Paris, France	12th (sf)	100 m	9.98
			10th (sf)	200 m	20.41
			1st	4 × 100 m relay	37.50
2025	World Championships	Tokyo, Japan	13th (sf)	100 m	10.09	0.0
			12th (sf)	200 m	20.13	+1.0
			2nd	4 × 100 m relay	37.55	—N/a