Pressure lifted, goal accomplished. Time to chase a little bit more.
Andre De Grasse has enjoyed his best overall season in a few years thanks to prioritizing his health, both physically and mentally. Set to turn 32 years old in November, the seven-time Olympic medallist enters Sunday’s 200-metre semifinal at the world athletics ultimate championship on a high he hasn’t enjoyed since the conclusion of the 2023 season.
“I didn’t really put no pressure on myself mentally or physically,” the Markham, Ont., native said. “I’m still focused and locked in, but I’ve just been venturing out and doing different things and trying different things.
“I feel like I did need a little bit of a mental break. I wanted to get back healthy. I think that was my goal for this year, to just stay healthy and try to be healthy, because I know the following year, 2027, and of course 2028, the Olympics, is a huge, big year.”
De Grasse has quietly climbed from No. 23 in the 200-metre world rankings at season’s end in 2025, to ninth. He owns the seventh-fastest time in the world this season at 19.84 seconds — his fastest since a 19.76 in September 2023.
“I’m a competitive guy and I’m going to go up there and give it my all,” he said. “I felt pretty good about this year. I can’t complain. … I would say it’s definitely been a good year. I mean, it’s been a great year. No matter what happens (Sunday) … it’s gonna be good, I can’t complain.
“Just maintaining and hopefully next year, we get back in the mix and we’re back in finals and we’re competing for medals.”
His ventures have included trying different spikes — now being a free agent on the shoe market — and even having Oakley make him uniforms for a couple of events.
Another project has been “On Track with Andre De Grasse,” a kids show set to premiere on CBC Gem on Sept. 26. The idea of that show is that he travels back in time to advise his 10-year-old self. That’s on top of the biopic he began working on in 2025.
“I’m just excited to be a part of something like this. It’s a huge different avenue, outlet, for me to be something differen,” said De Grasse. “I just want to encourage and keep it going. Maybe this could be the future for me, trying to be an actor.”
As for now, although he’ll be competing in the 200, his eyes are still set toward the 100. Nine of the 13 individual races he’s competed in this season were in the 100, with the aim of building his speed back up.
But he also has goals in mind for the near future.
“Just trying to get back my speed, trying to get back that rhythm again, because definitely when it comes back to the (2027) world championships and the L.A. Olympics, I want to be contending (in) that 100 metres,” he said. " … My goal is to still break that Canadian record of 9.84 (seconds) by Donovan (Bailey) and Bruny (Surin).
“That’s something I want try to accomplish before the end of my career. So, if I do run faster in the 200, that’s great, but my goals and my main focus going into the next couple of years is to get faster, just get faster in the 100 metres. I want be able to contend again.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2026.
Abdulhamid Ibrahim, The Canadian Press
