Andre De Grasse

Andre De Grasse

Andre De Grasse, born on 10 November 1994, is a Canadian sprinter. He has won many Olympic medals, including gold in the 200 m race in 2020. He also won silver medals in the 200 m in 2016 and the 4 × 100 relay in 2020. He has three bronze medals from the Olympics, including the 100 m race in 2016 and 2020, and the 4 × 100 m relay in 2016.

De Grasse won another gold medal as part of the 4 × 100 m relay team at the 2024 Summer Olympics. This made him one of Canada’s most decorated Olympians. At the World Athletics Championships, he has won several medals in relay events and individual races. He holds the Canadian record for the 200 m with a time of 19.62 seconds, set in Tokyo.

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 in 2015.

At USC, De Grasse ran the 100 m in 9.97 seconds and won 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 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 getting better and aim for big titles like the world and Olympic championships.

Athletics career

In 2015, De Grasse won gold medals in the 100 m and 200 m races at the Pan American Games in Ontario. He also won bronze medals in the 100 m and the 4 × 100 m relay at the World Championships in Beijing.

In 2016, 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 helped Canada win a bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m relay.

In 2017, De Grasse had to leave the World Championships because of an injury. In 2018, injuries caused him to end his season early. In 2019, he returned and won medals at the World Championships.

The 2020 Summer Olympics, held in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, De Grasse won a bronze medal in the 100 m and a gold medal in the 200 m. He also helped Canada win a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m relay.

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

In 2024, De Grasse was named to Canada’s Olympic team for the Paris Games. He helped Canada win the gold medal in the 4 × 100 m relay, earning his seventh Olympic medal.

Philanthropy and public appearances

In 2016, Andre De Grasse began the Andre De Grasse Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament to support his family foundation. In September 2017, he took part in a special event called WE Day in Toronto, organized by WE Charity. He also holds another basketball event named "Holiday Classic at Markham" each year, and all the money helps 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.

Honours

Andre De Grasse won many awards for his great achievements at the Olympics. In 2016, he won the Lionel Conacher Award as Canada’s top male athlete and received the Rising Star Award. In 2017, he was given a Harry Jerome Award. For his good 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