John Coghlan understands how Canadian track fans might fall into the trap of thinking something is amiss with Andre De Grasse when he isn’t in championship form early in the outdoor season. But any concern, the coach says, should be eased by looking at the sprinter’s history and accomplishments.
“He’s surprised people a few times … when they thought he wasn’t setting the world [on fire] and then shows up at the right time,” said Coghlan, who has worked with De Grasse since last November.
In July 2021, De Grasse ran 10.17 seconds over 100 metres in the Czech Republic 10 weeks before the Summer Games and then a 9.89 personal best for bronze in Tokyo to become the first Canadian to win multiple Olympic medals in the distance.
He went 20.09 in the 200 at the Bislett Games Diamond League meet in Norway one month before the Tokyo final when De Grasse found a different gear in the final seconds and reached the finish line in a Canadian record 19.62 for his first Olympic gold in the event.
“He’s special,” the Irishman Coghlan told CBC Sports of De Grasse. “He has such an incredible ability to turn on [his performance]. He’s got a winner’s mentality. I think people see his phenomenal physical ability, but I think his mental ability to perform is outstanding.”
Coghlan added De Grasse is at full health entering Thursday’s 200 at Bislett Stadium in Oslo. A live stream of the fifth leg of the Diamond League season will be available at 2 p.m. ET on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.
Coghlan called De Grasse’s most recent competition on May 21 at the Bermuda Grand Prix “high-level training.” The Markham, Ont., athlete ran the sprint double about 60 minutes apart, going 10.16 in the 100 and 20.28 in the 200 aided by a significant tailwind.
WATCH | De Grasse displays improved strength over 200 metres in Bermuda:
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Olympic champion Andre De Grasse of Markham, Ont., finishes second in the men’s 200-metre final with a time of 20.28 at a World Athletics Continental Tour event in Devonshire, Bermuda. American Elijah Morrow wins the race with a time of 20.11.
“I expected him to go a little faster, even though it was more of a training type of exercise,” said Coghlan. “He finished strong in the 200 but his first 100 metres wasn’t up to scratch. But the way he came back [to finish second] shows his strength is pretty good.
“If you’re going to perform at a high level at [the World Athletics Championships in August] you need to run races back-to-back. The plan is to gradually get faster through the season, so let’s hope that happens in Oslo.”
While De Grasse anchored Canada’s men to a thrilling 4×100 relay gold medal at worlds last July in Eugene, Ore., he didn’t qualify for the 100 final and the next day withdrew from the 200. It was the first time he had missed the medal podium in an individual event at a worlds or Olympics.
De Grasse’s 20.35 at this year’s Diamond League opener on May 5 in Doha, Qatar — a season best — is faster than each of his three wind-legal races from a year ago when the six-time Olympic medallist twice had COVID-19 and an injured right big toe that disrupted his training for much of the season.
“You put a lot of power through your big toe [as a sprinter] and I think a lot of questions were going through his head,” Coghlan recalled. “I think he felt he wasn’t fit last year because he missed so much training. But it seems to be, touch wood, under control and not an issue right now.”
WATCH | De Grasse clocks 20.09 seconds for 2021 win in Oslo:
Andre De Grasse took the 200m top spot while Aaron Brown grabbed second in Diamond League action from Oslo.
Still, training a lot of the winter season in Orlando, Fla., on grass fields and hills to prevent aggravating his toe delayed De Grasse in speed training, so his pure speed wasn’t at the usual high level in February and March it would have been had he worked on a track.
Andre has the capability to do it. If he builds his strength and power [a little more] it’s going to give him a big chance.— Coach John Coghlan on De Grasse setting the Canadian record over 100 metres
However, the 28-year-old father of three managed to improve his conditioning, fitness and gradually build back confidence in the toe.
In the short term, Coghlan noted De Grasse needs to get faster in his top-end speed — the sprinter’s biggest strength — with the goal for 2023 to run under 10 seconds in the 100 and sub-20 in the 200.
In time, added Coghlan, De Grasse would target the Canadian record of 9.84 seconds in the 100 shared by Donovan Bailey and Bruny Surin.
“Andre has the capability to do it,” he said. “I think if he builds his strength and power [a little more] it’s going to give him a big chance.”
WATCH | The key to De Grasse’s speed:
Athletics Canada head coach Glenroy Gilbert breaks down the physical and mental abilities that make Andre De Grasse Canada’s fastest man.
De Grasse won the 100 in Oslo last year in the rain and has prevailed a combined four times there in the 100 and 200, over the past seven years at Bislett Stadium.
He’ll probably be pushed Thursday by American star Erriyon Knighton, the 19-year-old reigning world bronze medallist. He won in 19.89 on June 2 at the Golden Gala in Florence, Italy and four days later (19.95) at the Irena Szewinska Memorial in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
“I’m hoping for progress,” said Coghlan of De Grasse. “I think he can improve on his season’s best and use it as a stepping stone. He’s not in peak shape by any means but moving in the right direction.”
DeBues-Stafford, Mitton, Katzberg also in Oslo
So, too, is Toronto native Gabriela DeBues-Stafford, who will be in the 15-women field for Thursday’s Dream Mile (1,609 metres) at 2:52 p.m. ET.
The 27-year-old returned from a one-year injury absence two weeks ago in the women’s 1,500 in Florence, stopping the clock in four minutes 3.64 seconds, three seconds faster than a month earlier (4:06.71) at the Sound Running Track Festival in Walnut, Calif.
Jessica Hull of Australia is among the favourites to win in Oslo. She delivered a national mark in Florence (3:57.29) to place third behind Faith Kipyegon, who set a 3:49.11 world record, and Laura Muir of Great Britain.
Shot putter Sarah Mitton and hammer thrower Ethan Katzberg are the other Canadians competing at 11:30 a.m. ET and 12:39 p.m. ET, respectively.
Mitton, 26, failed to reach 19 metres for the third straight meet, throwing 18.81 at the Folksam Grand Prix in Sollentuna, Sweden on Sunday following Diamond League performances in Rabat, Morocco (18.56) and at the Meeting de Paris (18.36).
The 21-year-old Katzberg from Nanaimo, B.C., is back from a week off after throwing four times in eight days. On June 9, he picked up his fifth victory in nine outings this outdoor season, throwing 77.93 in a non-official mixed event at the Meeting de Paris.
Katzberg and the six others in Thursday’s competition will also not collect Diamond League points since the sport is the lone field event not part of the circuit.
WATCH | Katzberg wins mixed hammer throw in Paris:
Ethan Katzberg of Kamloops, B.C., threw for 77.93 metres to win the mixed hammer throw event at the Diamond League meet in Paris.
Diamond League calendar
- Lausanne, Switzerland — June 30
- Stockholm — July 2
- Silesia, Poland — July 16
- Monaco — July 21
- London — July 23
- Shanghai — July 29
- Shenzhen, China — Aug. 3
- Zurich — Aug. 31
- Brussels — Sept. 8
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