Andre De Grasse
© FINN O’HARA

Personal best

Andre De Grasse races against himself to run faster

ELLEN SCHWARTZ

First, the stats. Andre De Grasse is the first Canadian to break both the 10-second barrier in the 100-metre dash and the 20-second barrier in the 200-metre dash. He is the first Canadian sprinter to win three medals at a single Olympic Games, as he won gold in the 200 metres, silver in the 4x100 metres relay and bronze in the 100 metres at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

His path, however, was not smooth. As a teen growing up in Markham, Ontario, De Grasse was struggling in school, dreaming of becoming a professional basketball player. His trajectory changed when a friend challenged him to compete in a high school track and field meet. Unfamiliar with the starting blocks, he took off from an upright stance, wearing a T-shirt, baggy shorts and borrowed track spikes—and ran the 100 metres in 10.91 seconds. This caught the attention of Tony Sharpe, a former Olympian, who became De Grasse’s coach. Sharpe later told the Orange County Register, “I’ve been in this sport 40 years. In terms of pure talent, I’ve seen nothing like Andre De Grasse.”

After attending Coffeyville Community College in Kansas and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, De Grasse turned pro in 2015, signing a multi-year sponsorship contract with Puma.

Now, he has written Ignite: Unlock the Hidden Potential Within. In the book, he shares lessons from his journey to becoming an Olympic champion, detailing the determination, resilience and perseverance it takes to be the best. “I’m excited to share these insights from the highs and lows of my career, both on and off the track,” he says. “I hope they help people unlock their own hidden potential.”

One of these insights is that desire and talent alone are not enough. De Grasse tells the Connection, “You need [both] a plan to work from and clear goals, and then you have to commit to work hard to reach them. When you fall short, you have to set new goals and keep going.”

He also emphasizes that it’s important to know where your true competition lies. In Ignite he writes, “Although you are running against other people, you are really racing against yourself. This applies to most challenges in life. Don’t focus on what others are doing but on bettering your own record.”

That is precisely what De Grasse is doing now, as he prepares to compete at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.

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Ellen Schwartz is the author of 19 books for children and adults. She lives in Burnaby, British Columbia.

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